Life as We Know it
by Jeilynn
Summary: From child to woman it all happened so quickly but unexpected feelings arise in them both. What happens when a proud Saiyan prince finds what he never even knew he was searching for in a young Saiyan woman he had watched grow up?
1. Where it All Started

Hey everyone, so in case you can't guess this story is a Pan and Vegeta pairing and it will contain adult themes so this story is rated M for a reason. If you don't like that sort of thing, are squeamish or its just not for you then please hit the back button now. For everyone else, enjoy!

Heavy rain clouds covered the sky, rain falling in heavy sheets like millions of tears from the sky, pouring down on the funeral below. The green canopy wasn't big enough for everyone, some people stood in groups beneath umbrellas as the rain pounded down. There were no words of comfort strong enough, no action, that could take away the pain they were feeling. But as bad as it was for the group beneath the canopy, it was nothing compared the pain and the great gaping emptiness in the heart of the solitary young girl who stood in the pouring rain as the two caskets were slowly lowered into the damp earth. Her shoulder length jet black hair clung to her face in thick wet strands as her eyes gazed emptily on the cherry wood caskets that contained her parents bodies.

Pan stood alone, unable to take the comfort others tried to offer her. No one could take away the pain, the gaping emptiness that was slowly consuming her heart. If only she had been older, stronger, she could have saved them. She could have done something to save her parents. Instead she hadn't been able to do anything until it was too late. In that last moment of battle when her father had been killed, Pan had felt a deep seeded rage that she had never known she could feel, and in that instant, she had managed to reach Super Saiyan. She was still only a child, and the first female Saiyan to reach such a high level of power. Everyone had been surprised by it. It was like she had been someone else altogether. She had been merciless in her fighting, in her killing of their enemy. No one had ever known that their sweet, loving Pan could have ever been like that. She tilted her face upwards, eyes closed to feel the cool chill of the rain slipping down her cheeks, the drops of water taking the place of the tears she herself had been unable to cry. With both her parents gone, it was like a part of her had gone missing, and nothing was ever going to bring it back.

As the priest droned on, Goku watched his young granddaughter with great concern. His and Chichi's hearts had been broken at losing their oldest son, and losing Videl, but he couldn't even begin to imagine the pain that Pan was feeling. His poor little Panny. He loved his granddaughter, and for the first time in all his life, the Saiyan warrior felt well and truly helpless. He didn't know what to say or do to comfort the child, and Chichi was not going to be much help, as she was lost in her own pain in that moment. Goku tightened his arm around his sobbing wife and offered what comfort he could. If only he could have helped Pan.

Vegeta's eyes were locked on the grandchild of Kakkorot. He was still in awe that she had managed to go Super Saiyan at her age, and at the total change in her since that battle. For a brief moment, he had felt a fierce pride in his heart when he saw her change. Never had he ever heard of a female Super Saiyan. Pan was the first. And with the proper training she would be a force to contend with. But later. That would come later. Vegeta had never fully understood the strange nature of human emotions, even after all this time on Earth, he was still puzzled. He couldn't deny that he too mourned the loss of Gohan and his human wife. They had been honorable and great fighters. He had lost count of the times they had gone into battle with them, but he would not shed tears. Not because he couldn't, but because he wouldn't rather honor them in the Saiyan way that to shed tears for the flames of life snuffed out too soon.

The proud Saiyan prince let his eyes travel over the crowd of mourners and for a moment his eyes locked with that of Kakkorot. His greatest opponent but now, in this moment he looked the weight of the years of their long lived race. He gave Goku an acknowledging nod before his gaze traveled back to Pan and tried to decipher this strange feeling. Perhaps the humans had finally rubbed off on him.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

The priests' voice was thick and sorrowful as he finished speaking. Pan stepped up and dropped a single rose onto each casket as it was now lowered into the ground, awaiting to be covered with the damp piles of earth.

"Mom….Dad….I'm sorry…" Pan whispered as the care takers began to shovel the first piles of cold, unforgiving earth onto the caskets.

"Come on Panny, it's time to go," Goku said, placing a hand on his granddaughter's shoulder.

Pan didn't move for the longest of moments, her eyes glued to the open holes that were steadily being filled in before finally turning away as her grandfather led her to the waiting car. Everyone was going back to Bulma and Vegeta's house. No one could really bare to walk into her family's home, though she knew, that someone would have to when she went back to pack her belongings. She didn't have a choice. Technically the house was hers now, but there was no way she could stay there with the memory of her parent's death still so close to the surface. She also knew that if one more person was nice to her, she was going to lose it.

Everyone kept trying to talk to her, to be encouraging, comforting but there was no room in her heart for either one. All that was there was a great burning rage and a need to release it. Glancing out the window, Pan caught sight of the gravitation room behind the house. She remembered her father bringing her here when he would train there and sometimes let her join him. All the Saiyans trained in the gravitation room.

Making sure no one would see her, Pan walked into the kitchen and slipped quietly out the back door, completely unaware that her escape hadn't gone completely unnoticed.

"What is that brat up to?" Vegeta said as he slipped out the back door after her.

Pan moved with a quick determination towards the gravitation room. Standing up on tip toes she quickly punched in the key code. A fine tremor ran through her body and she didn't know if it was from the building rage within her or the chilling cold of the rain soaking into her body. Stepping into the gravitation room, Pan looked around and flipped on one of the low lights, she didn't want anyone to know she was here. Besides, it would be easier for everyone in the house if she wasn't hanging around, a constant reminder of why they had all been gathered together. Walking to the computer system in the corner Pan punched in the specifics she wanted. She wasn't as strong as her father had been, so she had to do this in steps.

She didn't bother to wrap her hands as she approached a punching bag in the corner. Taking even breaths she began a slow rhythm of punches and kicks, the chain rattling beneath the heavy beating she was giving it. But she wasn't seeing the blue fabric of the punching bag. She was seeing that creature's face, the one that had taken her parents from her, the one she had killed. It was too much. Her hands moved in a blur as she punched angrily, trying to burn out some of her rage.

"I hate you…" she said, her voice trembling as she punched at the bag, her knuckles growing red from the punishment of hitting the bag so hard over and over," I hate you! I HATE you! I HATE YOU!"

Her words were a scream of rage and pain as she continued her assault on the punching bag. Not knowing that she was being watched.

Vegeta had slipped in when she started her training session, but he knew that beating on the punching bag would not be enough. She was a Saiyan and such a puny work out would not be enough to ebb the rage she felt. He could sense her ki growing, she was going to go Super Saiyan again. He could feel it, and the punching bag would not be enough for her rage and Vegeta knew it.

"Why don't you leave the punching bag and fight someone who can give you a challenge brat."

Pan whirled, her rage and pain clear on her face, and something in that look, the expression on her face tore at Vegeta's heart. He was getting soft. But he would not abandon a young Saiyan warrior to be lost in her rage. Even if she was Kakkorot's granddaughter.

"Get out Vegeta," Pan said angrily.

"Make me."

He was baiting her, he wanted her to attack. To see what potential this little Saiyan had, because he knew her power was there, lying just beneath the surface, if she would only unleash it.

"Damn you!" she screamed, her power level rising fast and faster, until the room errupted into a bright yellow burst as Pan turned Super Saiyan.

Vegeta just managed to move out of the way as Pan charged him. The brat was faster than she looked. She had so much potential. Vegeta turned as she charged him again, but this time he was ready for her and brought his knee up just enough to catch her in the stomach and send her tumbling. Pan glared up at him from rage filled eyes, she knew he wasn't going to hold back, regardless of her age and size, Vegeta would give her a good fight. And that was exactly what she needed right now. An outlet for the rage within her.

But there was no need to hold back, not by much anyway. Punch for punch, kick for kick, Pan was able to keep up with Vegeta, their fists and legs a bright blurr of motion within the gravitation room. Pan landed a blow on Vegeta's jaw, knocking him back just a bit just as he swept her feet from under her, his own blow catching her across the shoulders and sending her reeling. Pan leaned against the wall breathing hard, she had finally reverted from Super Saiyan and a small smile played at her lips as she looked up at Vegeta. He had finally taken the fight out of her, but it had been a good fight, and she had held her own up to the last.

"Come on brat. Your grandparents will be looking for you."

Pan could only nod as the proud Saiyan Prince took her small hand in his. Seeing how tired she was Vegeta shook his head and showed the first truly tender gesture he had ever shown in his life and scooped the girl up into his arms. Before he knew it, she was asleep in his arms, and for the first time since her parent's deaths, Pan felt safe…

So what did you guys think? Please review and be kind! Thanks!


	2. Mixed Emotions

Hey everyone, back again. I really hope everyone liked the first chapter and I just want to thank those who review. You are the best! Again, this story is rated M for a reason so if you are a bit squeamish, please hit the back button now! For everyone else, enjoy!

Six years later…..

She had grown up under his watchful eye, and somehow, without even realizing how much time had passed Pan had grown into a beautiful young woman. At sixteen she was a raven haired beauty with more skill than most of the male fighters around her. Even now she could give Vegeta a run for his money, but then again, that had to be expected when he was the one who had trained her so well. After Gohan and Videl had died, nothing was able to give Pan comfort, except for the sparring/training sessions she had with Vegeta and the others. It was something Vegeta had grudgingly agreed to after seeing the potential in the brat. He hadn't wanted to admit that he actually took great pride in training her to be a proud Saiyan warrior. She had absorbed every lesson, every move, and now she could nearly out match the best of them.

"Again brat. Come at me again but this time don't hold back," Vegeta commanded.

Pan wiped a line of sweat from her brow and nodded. Vegeta had been drilling her relentlessly for the last three hours and neither of them was willing to concede. She came at him again, aiming for the center of his chest, but either she was tired or very sloppy because Vegeta saw her coming and dodged, his foot hooking hers sending her tumbling to the ground , pinning her beneath him.

"You got sloppy brat. What have I told you about being sloppy with your attacks?" he said from nearly an inch away.

"Sloppy attacks get people killed," Pan replied as her hazel eyes met his.

"Exactly. Don't let it happen again," Vegeta warned.

But it was then in that moment, that he suddenly realized the position they were in, felt the pull of Pan's eyes as he gazed down at her, and felt the stirrings of….something he couldn't name begin. It wasn't the first time he had felt this strange stirring inside of him at Pan's presence, but he did his best to fight it, to ignore the strange sense of need that she brought out in him, tried not to think of the scent of skin.

The sound of foot steps drew Vegeta from his thoughts as he quickly and carefully moved off of Pan and grabbed a towel, throwing it to her.

"I think that's enough for today brat."

"It's about time."

Pan glanced to the door and a smile spread across her lips. Trunks was standing in the doorway, smiling brightly at Pan. She loved the way he smiled at her.

"You skipped your training," Vegeta growled at his son.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I guess I forgot. Sorry Dad," Trunks said, scratching the back of his head," I just came to see if I could steal Pan away for the afternoon."

Vegeta looked from his son to Pan and felt a strange surge of jealousy fill him. He took in the site of Pan, her hair damp with perspiration, clinging to her cheeks, the form of her toned body beneath her training clothes and the tight shorts that clung to her. He tried not to admire her, not have this strange feeling filling him, making him react to her in ways that he had never reacted to Bulma.

"Get out of here. Both of you," Vegeta said, turning his back on them.

Pan let her eyes wander over Vegeta for a moment, taking in everything as if she would memorize it. She shuddered slightly as she remembered the feel of him on top of her and felt her body react. Why was she reacting like this? She had never reacted to Vegeta this way before. She had been his student for years but something had changed in the last year, since she turned 16. She didn't know what it was but now there was always a strange sort of tension, a type of heat between them. And it was growing worse.

"Come on Panda let's go," Trunks said, putting his arm around her.

The duo exited the gravitation room practically attached at the hip , leaving it to a very jealous Vegeta. His eyes seemed to practically be burning a hold in the back of their heads as they left. He had felt an almost possessive predatory feeling well up in him when he saw the way Trunks hand sat low on Pan's back. He had wanted to rip his own son's hand off for touching her. Shaking his head, Vegeta headed for the showers. He was doing his best not to think of Pan as he stepped beneath the scalding hot water, but somehow his mind always turned to thoughts of her. And those thoughts were more than enough to make his body react. Something about the young Saiyan woman got to him, got under his skin and put him in a frenzy.

As hot water poured down on him Vegeta closed his eyes, unable to suppress the memory of only moments ago, feeling Pan pinned beneath him, the softness of her body, the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest and a shudder ran through him, an involuntary sound , something between a growl and a moan leaving his lips. Why did his mind always turn to thoughts of her? Why did he react to her this way ? Unable to answer his own question, Vegeta let his mind wander back to thoughts of the young Saiyan woman who made his blood boil, only this time he didn't try to push the thoughts away or fight the urges that filled him as he let his soap covered hand slip down and grip himself tightly, his hand slowly stroking over himself as he thought of her, her voice, her body….

"Oh crap. I left my backpack in the gravitation room," Pan said, stopping suddenly," I'll be right back."

Giving Trunks a quick kiss on the cheek, Pan ran back into the gravitation room in search of her missing backpack. Pan could hear the sound of the shower going as she moved to the door nearest them to scoop up her discarded pack. The soft strange noises coming from the showers drew her attention. For a moment, all she could think was that Vegeta was injured and that she had been the cause of it.

"Vegeta?"

Pan moved around the side of the tiled wall of the showers and stared in shock. Vegeta stood beneath the hot spray of the shower, his head tilted back, eyes closed, his hand gripping himself firmly as he moaned Pan's name, spilling his seed on the tiled floor of the shower. Pan's heart pounded in her chest as she couldn't force herself to look away. Her eyes slide over the muscles in his arms, the muscled expanse of his chest and bit her lips to keep silent. She had never seen a man like this, and a fine tremble ran through her body as she found herself taking an involuntary step forward, then turned on her heel and ran as heat rushed through her body.

Vegeta turned as he heard the door to the gravitation room open and close. Frowning he wrapped a towel around his waist and walked towards the door, wincing as he stepped on something sharp. Looking down on the tiled floor , Vegeta bent down and picked up the silver charm bracelet and felt his eyes widen. It was Pan's…Had she seen him? Heard him? He had been a fool to do something so private here in the gravitation room's showers but if he had gone in the house…Bulma would have heard him and he couldn't let that happen. The longer he stood there thinking about it, a small self satisfied smile tugged at his lips as he realized a part of him wanted her to see him, and he couldn't help but wonder what she had thought.

Pan ran to catch up with Trunks who was waiting for her outside the house, she felt as if her cheeks were on fire from what she had just witnessed. She shivered as she remembered the sound of Vegeta's voice, the way he had said her name while he….Shaking her head she gave Trunks her best smile. She couldn't let him know what she had seen, what she had heard. Still, she couldn't seem to shake the image from her mind, nor the feelings he brought out in her.

"Everything okay?" Trunks asked, when he saw her flushed cheeks.

"Yeah, fine," she replied, "So are we going to study or what?"

Trunks grinned and put his arm around Pan as they walked into the house, the coolness inside a relief from the heat outside.

"Where's your mom and sister?" Pan asked as they walked up the stairs to Trunk's room.

"Out shopping for the afternoon," he grinned, as he pulled Pan into the cool dark of his room, not even bothering to turn on a light.

Pan got the feeling Trunks had been planning this the entire time. And now was the perfect time for them to spend some alone together, especially now when his mom and sister were gone and his dad was….well, she knew where Vegeta was. Just thinking about it made a deep crimson blush fill her cheeks. Trunks thought it was because of him and took that as enough of an invitation to pull Pan over to his bed. Pan gave a soft giggle as the two teenagers fell onto the bed.

"You were planning this all along weren't you?"

Trunks had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Maybe a little. But I've been wanting to be alone with you without any interruptions for awhile now. And what better time then when my mom and sister are out of the house?"

Pan shook her head and smiled as she ran fingers through the softness of Trunks' hair as he lowered his lips to hers. His kiss was gentle, his lips firm against hers as she felt him lean over her, but it wasn't Trunks she was thinking of when she closed her eyes. It was Vegeta's face she saw, his lips she wanted to feel. She wondered if his kiss would feel as gentle as Trunks' did or if it would be more demanding. As their kiss deepened, Pan's mind was flooded with thoughts of Vegeta, and the memory of what she had witnessed. The moment she thought of it, of him, as she had seen him in the showers, she felt something low in her body clench and a soft moan left her lips.

Trunks took that to be invitation for more than just a kiss. As his lips descended on her neck, trailing a long, slow trail of kisses along her neck and collar bone. Pan was so lost in her thoughts of Vegeta that she completely forgot who she was with and what was happening. She didn't even notice when Trunks' hand slipped beneath the thin fabric of her shorts, drawing soft moans from her throat, her hips raising up to meet his fingers as they slipped over her, teasing her. Pan bit her lip as she flashed back on that scene in the shower, wishing she had been bolder, bold enough to have joined him. Her eyes flickering open, she suddenly remembered where she was and who she was with, and couldn't seem to figure out why it was she felt this strange pang of guilt when she thought of what they were doing.

"Trunks, stop…please…I can't…"

Trunks looked up at Pan for a moment, wondering if she was just joking.

"You're kidding right? You didn't mind a few minutes ago."

"Trunks, I mean it. Stop," Pan said, reaching to pull his hand from between her legs, where his fingers still moved against her.

"You can't be serious. Just relax Panda, everything is fine. I'd never hurt you ," Trunks said, kissing his way along her neck.

"Trunks, stop it!" She yelled, shoving him off her so suddenly that Trunks went sprawling onto the floor of his bedroom.

At that moment the door to the room opened, and Bra stood framed in the door way.

"What's going on in here?"

"Nothing, everything's fine. I just…I remembered I have to get going," Pan said as she rushed past Bra, nearly running down the stairs.

"Oh, hi Pan. Where are you- going?" Bulma said, a bit confused why Pan was running out of the house.

Pan ran until she was back outside, her heart hammering in her chest. What was wrong with her? Why was she feeling guilty for letting Trunks touch her that way? And why could she only think of Vegeta? She was so lost in thought that she didn't even see the Saiyan prince until she had literally walked right into him.

"Watch where you're going woman!"

"Vegeta! I-I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

Pan couldn't seem to stop the fine tremble that ran along her body or the deep crimson blush that filled her cheeks when she looked up at him. Vegeta smirked to himself as gazed down at her, she had seen him in the showers Her charm bracelet felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket but he didn't want her to know that he knew she had been there. Though this strange state of behavior couldn't all be because of him, could it?

"Something the matter brat?"

"N-no…nothing. I've got to go," Pan replied as she went skyward, flying home as fast as she could.

When she landed in front of the small house that had come to be her home after her parent's death, she sighed. She loved her grandparents dearly but she also missed her real home. But more than that, more than anything, she missed her parents. It had been six years and still the scar of their deaths was an open wood, slowly bleeding her dry.

Pan walked through the door into the kitchen where her grandfather Goku sat in front of a large pile of empty plates.

"Am I late for dinner?" Pan asked, looking around.

"Oh hey Pan. No, your grandma and I are just going out for dinner, but I was hungry so I thought I'd have a light snack before we left," Goku replied.

"A light snack? Grandpa there has to be 30 dishes here!"

Goku chuckled and patted his stomach that was nowhere near being full.

"You know me. I'm always hungry."

Pan shook her head and smiled. Her grandpa's appetite never ceased to amaze her. How he managed to still be so fit with all he ate was beyond her.

"Pan? Is that you?"

"Yeah grandma."

"Your grandfather and I are leaving, so you be sure to do all your homework! And it better be done when we get back!"

Pan rolled her eyes. Typical Chichi. She had been that way with her father too. Gohan used to tell her stories all the time about how Chichi was always on his case to study and do great things. Of course, Chichi used to tell those stories too, but after her father died, Chichi couldn't even say Gohan's name. Like it was forbidden, or too painful. Pan missed those stories. It would have been nice to have someone to talk to about them, about how she felt after her parents died. Yet the only one who seemed to keep an interest in her was ….Vegeta. Another blush rolled across her cheeks. Just thinking his name did strange things to her.

"I will Grandma. In fact, I think I'll go take a quick shower and get started!"

"Alright Pan! That's our girl!," Goku said proudly before turning to his wife and asking," Hey Chichi, when do we eat? I'm starving!"

It wasn't until after her grandparents had left and she had taken a brief shower that Pan lay on her bed in a thin white t-shirt that hung just above her knees. She had been trying her best to concentrate on her homework but her thoughts always went back to him. She couldn't stop thinking about Vegeta, about their sparring session, about the feel of his hard body pressing against the softness of hers, and what she'd seen in the showers. Sighing softly to herself, Pan lay back against her bed, closing her eyes as she remembered every detail.

She remembered the way the water clung to his skin in small droplets, the slow steady movement of his hands….A soft moan fled her lips as she let her own hands wander, slowly pulling her t-shirt up over her thighs, her fingers sliding lower as she recalled the sounds Vegeta had been making that caught her attention in the first place. She remembered the rhythm of his hand as he gripped himself, her fingers moving in that same exact rhythm between her legs as she writhed on the bed, her breathing turning shallow, faster, as she moved her fingers, not realizing that she had already begun to moan Vegeta's name. Pan shut her eyes tighter as she remembered the look on his face in that last moment of pleasure, his eyes closed, face almost serene… when he had moaned her name. And it was that memory that sent her teetering over the edge, her body shaking as pure pleasure raced through her body.

"Vegeta!"

Her cry echoed throughout her room as she lay panting on her bed, her eyes finally opening to stare up at the plain white ceiling. What the hell was wrong with her? She had to be insane to do this? Shouldn't she have been thinking of Trunks? Of her boyfriend, instead of her boyfriends' father? Her best friend's father? Pain groaned to herself and sighed in confusion. She just didn't understand…how could she possibly feel this way? Be attracted to him? To Vegeta of all people! She kept waiting for that strange feeling of guilt to take root in the pit of her stomach, that would tell her that thinking of Vegeta just now had been wrong. But that feeling never came, and only led to more confusion.

Okay so I know this was kinda long but what did you guys think? Please review! And remember to be kind! Hope to see everyone back in the next chapter!


	3. Growing Attraction

Hey guys, back again. Just another friendly reminder that this fic is rated M for a reason so if you are squeamish and don't like that sort of thing please hit the back button now. For everyone else, enjoy!

Pan tossed and turned in her sleep, sweat beading on her forehead, high pitched whimpers leaving her throat as darkness chased her through her dreams.….

She was along, always standing alone in the dark. Laughter, deep, echoing, menacing laughter filled the air around her, stealing her very breath. Lightning split the skies above, giving her a flash of something nearby. Something big falling from the darkened lightning filled skies.

"VIDEL NOOO!"

Pan whirled to see her father rushing upward, already bruised and bloody from the fight as he pushed himself to reach her mother's falling form as it rocketed towards the hard packed earth below. She saw Gohan, just barely catching Videl's too still form, staggering from the catch as he lowered them both to the ground.

"M-mom?"

Pan's eyes widened as she looked down beside her to see her ten year old self, just as she had been that day, frozen with fear, as she watched her parents. Gohan was shaking, the very air around him quaking with some unseen force as he cradled Videl's too still form in his arms, rocking her gently back and forth before slowly, gently laying her in the small patch of untouched grass.

"I love you Videl…"

Her fathers' grief filled words like a knife to her heart as she saw the hatred, the unshed tears in his eyes as he looked upward. A rage filled scream ripped through the heavy currents of air as Gohan took to the sky, his grief pushing him into Super Saiyan, knowing his body couldn't take it. He was too weak. It would drain him too quickly. But he wasn't thinking clearly. His mind was too clouded by his grief and his rage.

"Dad nooo!" Pan screamed, trying to take to the air but finding herself unable to move, frozen to the spot beside her ten year old self.

Pan fought against that invisible force, the fear that held her to the spot, her heart pounding as she gave a frustrated scream.

"DAMN IT! DAD COME BACK!" She screamed futily, her father too far in the clouds to hear her screams.

Tears stung at her eyes like tiny daggers, threatening to spill down her cheeks. She had to get free. To help him. There had to be a way. But there, like a soft whisper in her ear was that voice. That deep gravely voice whispering it's evils to her.

"You can't save him….you can't do anything little girl…you are a helpless child…and it's your fault. They both will die…and it's all your fight…weakling child."

Pan screamed again as panic rushed through her, her eyes never leaving the skies. She could see the blurring motion of the fight high in the clouds, the shining star that was her father, but he was getting so weak, he was slowing down. He was no match. It would happen any second…She wanted to look away, to not have to watch it again. To not relive what she had seen over and over in her nightmares, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. It was like seeing someone standing in the middle of the train tracks while those thousands of tons of metal screamed down the tracks and you keep screaming at them to get off the tracks but they just don't listen. Her screams were unheard, and her body refused to move. It was going to happen and it was her fault, because she could do nothing to stop this.

From high above, from the great blur of motion was an almost blinding red flash of light, one long agonized scream of pain, and the sound of something heavy whistling through the air, falling, falling too fast. Gohan's body fell from the skies, almost too fast for the eye to see, and hit the ground with a deafening thud.

"GOHAN!"

"DADDY!"

Pan's grief filled shriek cut through the air as she and her ten year old self ran to where her father had fallen. Pan stared down, her mind reeling as she looked down into the thick indentation her father's body had made when the ground came rushing up to meet him. She fell to her knees beside her father. A bloody, broken, hand raised up from that hole, reaching for her. That hadn't happened…Gohan had never reached for her….He was dead long before he ever hit the ground. Yet in her frightening landscape of her nightmares, it was always worse…there was blood…so much blood…the hole was practically filled with it…far too much for just one body.

"P-pan….why?….Why didn't you….save us…it's …your fault…all you're fault…you killed us!"

"NOOOOOO!" Pan shrieked, bolting upright in bed, her heart hammering in her chest, her body drenched in sweat.

She was breathing hard as she sat there shaking in the middle of her bed. It was always like this…always so awful…It was like being there all over again. Running foot steps in the hall. Her grandparents had heard her scream.

"Pan? Pan let me in!"

The door knob rattled as Chichi's voice came from the other side. She was trying to get in, but Pan couldn't face them. Either of them. Not like this. Not as she was. Unlatching the lock on her window, Pan grabbed her book bag and a handful of clothes and flew out into the star lit night, just as her door burst open, breaking off the hinges from Goku's strength.

Goku stepped into the room, adrenalin coursing through is veins as he looked around for signs of a fight, and any sign of his granddaughter. His eyes stopping on the open window and sighed.

"Goku where is she?" Chichi asked, gripping Goku's sleeve.

"I don't know. But stay here Chichi, I'll find her. She can't have gone far."

Goku hated to leave Chichi alone, she had become a bit of a wreck since Gohan's death and she worried far too much over Pan but he had to find Pan. He thought her nightmares had stopped, but apparently he was wrong. He remembered how bad they were when she first came to live with them. The first time they had awoken to the screams of a ten year old Pan as nightmares tortured her. She would never tell them about the nightmares, only curled up in her grandfather's lap and told him they were bad, and always different somehow. Goku wasn't even sure how they had survived, but there was one thing about it that was constant. Pan never cried. Not once. Shaking his head, he rose up into the skies, trying to get a better view of the land in hopes of spotting her from a higher altitude. He had to find her and bring her home.

Pan flew as fast as she could, pushing herself to faster. Her grandfather may be old but he was still in prime condition. It wouldn't be long before he caught up to her. What had she been thinking when she flew out the window? That she couldn't take their pity. That's what. She couldn't stand another disappointed, piteous look from her grandparents. Another reassurance of everything would be okay. Because it wasn't okay. It hadn't been for a very long time, and never would be again. That much she was sure of.

Pan took deep breaths of cool night air as she searched for some place to land, someplace to hide. Somehow, without even realizing it, she had found herself flying towards' Trunks' house. She scanned the house from the shaded darkness of the trees. All the lights were out. No one would see her slip into the gravitation room. She could hide out there and no one would know she was there. Quietly, Pan glided across the open yard and quickly punched in the security code. She just had to be out of here before anyone noticed she had slept here. If she could sleep that is. Right now she was freezing her butt off from flying this far in the cool night air in a shirt that was soaking wet. Shivering as she stepped into the near total darkness of the gravitation room, Pan waited and let her eyes adjust. The only light in the room was the soft multi-colored flickering of lights from the computer system. It only took moments for her eyes to adjust, and silently she padded across the cool floor to the showers. She needed to get warm. To try and relieve the deep chill that had set into her bones.

Peeling off her wet shirt with a soft sound almost like tearing she dropped the wet shirt to the floor and turned on the hot spray of the shower. Pan shivered as the hot water hit her skin, making little goose bumps on her skin. She hadn't realized just how cold she was until the hot water cascaded down her skin. Steam rose up all around her, making the showers even hotter than normal, but some chills, even the hottest of water couldn't erase. Her nightmare had terrified her and left her shaken. It had been a long time since she had had one this bad. Pan closed her eyes tilting her face up into the spray, the water soaking her raven hair, making it stick to her face in thick strands as she stood there trying to get warm.

Vegeta frowned as he moved silently across the yard, bathed in moonlight. What was that brat doing here at this time of night? Vegeta had been standing in the kitchen making something to drink, toying with Pan's charm bracelet, when he had seen a shadowy figure in the yard. For a moment he had thought it was someone stupid enough to break in, but then, through the open window, on the cool night air he could sense her, smell her, that familiar female scent. Not just any scent…Saiyan. A small smile played at his lips for the briefest of moments followed by confusion. Why would Pan be here now? The girl was never out like this. Kakkorot and his human wife must not even be aware the girl was here. How foolish of them both. Smiling a soft, almost predatory grin, Vegeta slipped quietly out of the house and treaded across the grass. He could at least find out what the brat was up to. Besides, he had something of hers that he needed to return.

Pan never heard the door to the gravitation room open. She was too lost in her own world of thought, trying to think of anything but what she had dreamed about. She ran her fingers through her dark locks, washing away the last remnants of shampoo, unaware that she was being watched.

Vegeta had moved quietly through the gravitation room, his senses seeming to be in over drive as he moved towards the showers. Even now he could smell her, the scent of her riding the air like some intoxicating perfume. He could feel himself reacting already and couldn't seem to understand this strange reaction he had to her. What was it about her, the woman-child he had watched grow up and practically helped to raise that could set his blood on fire? Vegeta moved quietly through the soft rolling steam that filled the showers until he had a somewhat clear view of Pan and what he saw nearly made his heart stop in his chest. In that one moment Vegeta found himself gazing upon the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Pan was no longer the child he remembered, the angry, spit fire brat he had trained. Somehow, almost over night she had changed.

He watched, almost mesmerized as the water dripped down her skin, his breathing heavier as he let his eyes travel down her form. Her hair was partially slicked back with water that trickled down to run down the valley between her breasts, across her stomach and lower still. Vegeta shuddered, his every instinct not just as a man, but as a proud Saiyan Prince telling him to take her then and there. But he couldn't. He could never rush her, never scare her. It took everything in him to fight for control as he slowly disrobed what little clothing he had on and stepped up behind her in the warm spray of water and wrapped his muscled arms around her from behind. The line of her body pressing tightly against him, fitting so perfectly as he whispered low in her ear.

"Late night trianing brat?"

Pan jumped at the feel of arms around her, going very still as she felt the hard muscled line of a very obvious male body press to hers. For a moment she had thought it was Trunks, the scent was so familiar but different somehow. But then she heard that voice, rough and dark but still somewhat gentle at the same time, and she knew it wasn't Trunks pressing against her. A shiver ran through her body as she felt things low in her body clench and she felt the urge to give a soft whimper before relaxing just a bit against Vegeta.

"S-something like that….what are you doing in here? You shouldn't be here…"

But she knew her voice, her body had already betrayed her. She wanted him here. She wanted him. Her every nerve was on edge, her every sense heightened just by his very presence.

"We both know that's a lie…you want me here, I can feel it…smell it," he said, his warm breath like a soft breeze against her neck as he breathed her in, his lips brushing her neck, drawing a gasp from her.

"Y-you want to be here…? Why? ….You shouldn't…you're..and I'm…"

A soft moan left her lips as she felt the warm strength of Vegeta's hands caressing her sides, moving along her ribs, just below her breasts and back down to her hips. She felt like she would melt into a puddle right there. Never had she thought to ever feel this, be like this…with Vegeta of all people! A part of her was screaming that this was wrong, but a bigger part was soothing her, telling her it was so right.

"I think you know why little one….You know exactly what you do to me…You've seen with your own eyes…"

At those last words Pan felt Vegeta press harder against her, felt him hard and firm against her backside as she trembled in his arms, his lips trailing slow kisses up and down along her neck. She closed her eyes as each sensation watched over her. He knew…somehow, he knew she had seen him. But how? She had been so careful. How could he have known?

"H-how…"

But her words failed her as she felt Vegeta's hands teasing the underside of her breasts and one of his strong, warm hands sliding down her side, her hip, slowly moving to cup her in the warmth of his hand, drawing a moan from her, making her arch her back.

"Did you enjoy what you saw little one? Hearing me? Hearing your name on my lips as I thought of you?"

"Y-yes…"

Vegeta smiled that self satisfied smile of his as he moved his fingers over her, heard her cries echo in the steam filled shower. It was taking all he had to keep control, not to take her. Somewhere in his mind was a voice of reason telling him he should not push this, should not be touching her, holding her. He, a proud Saiyan prince suddenly, for the first time in his long life, felt he was unworthy. He moved his fingers slowly, steadily as he carefully slipped one inside her, reveling in the sound of her cry as he felt her arch her hips into his touch. Something was happening. Something strange, and new, and exciting in it's own way. He could feel it building between them as his fingers caressed and teased her. He could feel Pan trembling against him, her whispered words, a half whimper and moan.

"Please…please….please…"

Pan wasn't even sure what it was she was asking for, she only knew there was a strange feeling growing in the pit of her stomach, something close to the feeling of a coil slowly tightening, too tight within her, keeping her on the edge of some great chasm. Her hands pressed against the tile of the shower wall as she writhed against Vegeta and his teasing fingers. She knew it was close…the end to this feeling inside her, this great building storm that was brewing within her. Her knees felt weak, as if she wouldn't stay standing with this building pressure, the feel of Vegeta's fingers inside her. It was almost too much, too intense, and then suddenly, the coil within her snapped, sending her screaming into an almost overwhelming sense of pleasure. There were no words for the feelings washing over her, almost drowning her in sensation.

"VEGETA!"

Vegeta could no longer hold back, no longer fight the instinct that was driving him as Pan came. He sunk his teeth into that spot where her neck met her shoulder and felt something rush through him. Like an inner sonic boom that both stole his breath away, and completed him at the same time. And somewhere in the back of his mind, in the more primitive part of his mind he felt a howl of triumph rushing through him. She was his. He knew that as surely as he knew the sun would rise. She was his.

He felt Pan's knees give out at last and gently he moved them both to the smooth tile of the shower floor and for the briefest of moments he feared he had hurt her.

"Are you alright little one?"

Pan gazed up at him, her cheeks flushed, eyes glazed with pleasure. She felt like she was caught up in some other dream, something wholly unreal as she looked up at the Saiyan Prince. She had never known Vegeta to ever truly be gentle or tender, but in this moment, he was.

"I'm alright," she replied, her voice a little unsteady, "I've just…no one has.."

Pan found herself blushing profusely at the admonition. Did she really want Vegeta to know just how little experience she really had? To know that the only pleasure even remotely similar to what they had just shared came from her own hands?

Vegeta smiled when he knew what she was trying to tell him and it made that strange sense of victory and pride rush through him so much deeper than before. To know that no one had ever made her feel the way he did, that no one had touched her….At that thought a surge of jealousy rushed through him. He remembered the way Trunks had touched her when they left yesterday. He shrugged it off. She had said no one had done this to her, he had to trust her word. She was his now, no one would make her feel this way but him.

Vegeta stood suddenly, grabbing his clothing from the floor and dressing as he gazed down at Pan where she sat.

"I thought I should return this," he said, placing her charm bracelet on the little shelf near the shower.

Pan's eyes widened in surprise. So that's how he had known. She had dropped her bracelet. How had she not noticed? How could she have been so careless? But did it really matter anymore?

"Get dressed and come up to the house. You aren't sleeping out here," Vegeta said over his shoulder as he left.

Pan could only stare after him, lost in disbelief of what had just occurred between them. Had she really done that? Had she really let her boyfriend's father, her best friend's father touch her like that? Let him make her feel that way? A shiver ran through her as she fought the memory of his touch, his body and whimpered. What was she going to do?

Back at the house, Vegeta stepped beneath the glacial spray of the water to try and cool the fire running through his veins. He could still smell her on his skin, feel the smooth line of her body pressed to his. Even the icy spray of water wasn't enough to cool the fires raging within him. He needed to relieve himself before it consumed, the raw need he felt for her. In his mind's eye he relived this last moment with her as he gripped himself and cursed himself a fool for not taking hand moved in rough, sure, strokes as he thought of her, how soft she felt, the sound of her moans as he brought her to pleasure. A low gutteral moan left him as he uttered her name, spilling his seed on the smooth shower floor, nearly breathless from the much needed release. He shook his head and smiled. Here he was once more, reduced to relieving himself in the shower after being near her.

"You are a fool Vegeta," he said to himself.

Pan crept slowly towards the house, finding the kitchen door unlocked for her. She shook her head. She had taken longer in the shower than she had intended in washing up after Vegeta had left. She hadn't wanted to wash away the sent of him from her skin but she knew everyone would suspect if she walked around smelling like him. Pan crept into the kitchen to find the light on and Vegeta sitting at the table drinking coffee.

"Now brat…what were you doing here so late?"

Pan frowned at his sudden changed of attitude. A short while ago he had been caring, gentle, and now he seemed like his normal self.

"I couldn't sleep…I was having nightmares…bad ones…I didn't want them to pity me so I left.."

It didn't take a genius to figure out who "they" were. Kakkorot had told him before of the nightmares Pan had experienced since her parents died and he himself had witnessed it a few times when she had stayed the night with Bra. But he had never known she still experienced them. Suddenly the kitchen door flew open and Goku came rushing in.

"Vegeta! Have you seen….Pan?"

Goku stopped and stared in surprise to find his granddaughter sitting at the small kitchen table with Vegeta.

"Hi Grandpa…"

"Come right in, won't you Kakkorot?" Vegeta said sarcastically as he eyed the now broken kitchen door. "You're fixing that door."

Goku scratched his head and laughed at himself. He hadn't meant to break the door but he so often forgot his own strength.

"Heh, heh. Sorry Vegeta. I was just looking for Pan," he said, his gaze shifting to his granddaughter," We were worried sick about you! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine grandpa…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you but, I suddenly remembered I left my charm bracelet here and I didn't want anything to happen to it. I panicked. Then when I got here, I decided to have an early morning work out. I'm really sorry."

She was lying through her teeth but the bracelet was important to her, it had been her mother's and it gave her an excuse for why she had really been here. From the corner of her eye she could see the self satisfied smirk on Vegeta's lips that he was trying to hide with his coffee mug.

"You should be careful brat, those early workouts can be quite…strenuous," Vegeta said, going to rinse his mug in the sink.

Pan tried to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks.

"I will be…um…Grandpa, can we go home now? I'm really tired," Pan said, wanting to leave before Vegeta could make anymore comments on strenuous activities.

"Sure. Maybe your Grandma will have gotten an early start on breakfast. I'm starving. All that flying around works up an appetite."

Vegeta had no excuse for the next words that left his lips other than he wanted to make Pan blush again.

"Yes, you definitely want to satisfy your appetite."

Pan's eyes widened as she turned and went out the door, hoping that she wasn't running but just moving at a quickened pace.

"I am not running away, I am just exiting swiftly," she thought to herself.

Still, she couldn't help but smile as she thought of Vegeta. She also hoped no one saw the mark he had left on her with his teeth.

When they got home, Pan stood stone statue still as she listened to a long lecture from Chichi about never worrying them that again and finally retired to her bed. Climbing beneath the fresh sheets, Pan closed her eyes as sleep tugged at her, and for the first time in a very long time, she didn't dream.

So what did you guys think? Hope you all liked it. Please review and remember to be kind! See you in the next chapter!


	4. Mixed Signals

Hey everyone back again for another chapter. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! You guys are the best! Once again to those of you just tuning in, this fic is rated M for a reason so if you are squeamish or that isn't your cup of tea then please hit the back button now! For everyone else, enjoy!

Pan awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen and the sound of her grandparent's laughter. For a brief moment she smiled as she allowed herself to recall what had happened last night. Her hand moved carefully to her neck, her eyes barely open as she recalled the feel of Vegeta's kiss, his teeth sinking into her skin and shivered.

"Hey, rise and shine, beautiful."

"Trunks?"

Pan shot upright in bed, nearly falling onto the floor in a tangle of blankets as she stared up at Trunks standing over her. What was he doing here? Had he seen her neck? The mark his father had left? He was going to hate her when he found out.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"It's Saturday remember? You, me, movies. And then later on my parent's party."

"Oh, right," she said sheepishly.

Pan had completely forgotten her plans with Trunks. She had been too lost in her thoughts of Vegeta, and remembering last night. She shouldn't have let herself get so distracted. She needed to be more careful. No matter how Vegeta made her feel. She needed to forget about it. Besides, Trunks was her boyfriend. It was wrong for her to be fooling around with her boyfriend's father. Good girls did not have fantasies about the fathers of their boyfriends.

"If you plan on getting some breakfast you might want to hurry before your Grandpa eats it all," Trunks teased.

His eyes followed Pan as she moved about the room, gathering up her clothes. He couldn't quite place it but something was different about her, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Trunks shook his head. He was being silly. He was probably just over thinking things since Goku had told him about Pan's nightmares. Still, he wondered why she hadn't tried to see him if she had come to his house. Why would she go there and not try to see him? It seemed strange that she wouldn't seek comfort from him. He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Okay, I'm ready," Pan said, as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Trunks couldn't seem to pick his jaw up off the floor. Pan stood before him in a tight fitting mid- drift top that revealed the smooth paleness of her stomach and came to a low vee in the front and a short black skirt with a small slit in the side. Normally Pan wasn't one to dress up. It had never been her style. But she knew she would be seeing Vegeta later and for the first time in her young life she was feeling vain. She wanted to catch his eyes , to look good for him. She hated to admit it even just to herself, but it was true.

"Are we going?" she asked, waving a hand back and forth in front of Trunks' eyes.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right. The movie."

Pan smiled at the reaction she got from him. If this was the way Trunks reacted to what she wore, she wondered what Vegeta's reaction would be. They were walking practically hip to hip, Trunks' hand a warm presence on her back where the shirt didn't cover her smooth skin. Chichi looked up when they came in and raised a surprised but pleased eye at what Pan was wearing. She was always nagging her to dress a bit more feminine and now she was. Though the outfit was a bit revealing for her tastes.

"It's about time you got up. I'd give you some breakfast but it looks like your Grandpa beat you to it."

"I couldn't help it! I was starving!"

"You're always starving Grandpa," Pan laughed as she took in the table coved in empty dishes.

"Are you two going to be at the party later?" Goku asked finishing a piece of sausage, "I can't wait to eat. I may have to have a snack or two before then to hold me over."

"Yeah we'll be there. We're just going to hit the movies first," Trunks replied, as he did his best to not to do anything too lascivious in front of Pan's grandparents.

"You two have a good time!" Chichi called, as they walked out the door.

Pan was doing her best to pay attention to Trunks, to listen when he talked and responded when he asked her a question but she was still so distracted, separated from what was going on. Something had changed in her, something she couldn't quite describe. But it was like she felt guilty. Guilty for being with her boyfriend! It almost absurd! Why should she feel guilty for being with her boyfriend when she should be feeling guilty for what happened with Vegeta. And yet…she didn't. In fact, she found herself wishing she had had the courage to take things just a little farther. That she had been able to give him the same incredible feelings that he had given to her. But she had been taken by surprise by the whole thing, and now she wasn't even sure how to act around him. She just knew that she couldn't let Trunks or anyone else find out what they had done. She wasn't sure she could handle their condemnation.

In the darkness of the movie theatre, Pan just couldn't seem to get comfortable. Every time Trunks tried to hold her hand she found herself wanting to pull away. And when he kissed her…the only way she could get through it was to think of Vegeta, and once again wonder if his lips would feel like this, if his kiss would be as gentle. No…it wouldn't be. Something told her that there would be something more commanding to his kiss. She had felt that much last night when his warm mouth had descended upon her neck. That one brief memory made her shiver. She no longer payed attention to the movie, or to the boy beside her. Her every thought was of Vegeta, of last night. Pan was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize the movie had ended.

"Ready to go Panda?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm ready," she smiled as they exited the theatre.

The ride back was a comfortable one, though Pan did have to keep moving Trunks' hand whenever it would begin to creep slowly up her thigh. Though she was sure to do it in ways that he wouldn't suspect there was anything wrong. When they got to the house, the party had already started. Pan smiled when Trunks came around to open the door for her and for just a moment she could swear that she felt the heat of Vegeta's gaze upon her as she stepped out of the car. She glanced up slowly and sure enough, Vegeta was staring at her from the far end of the yard. She could feel the weight of his eyes as they traveled over her and she couldn't help but get the feeling that he was angry with her. She wasn't sure how but she had been able to sense his mood. She frowned at this, confused, but even more confused as to why he would be angry with her.

For the entire party it seemed like Vegeta was avoiding her. Was he feeling guilty about last night? Or had she done something to anger him and not known it. The one and only time she had even gotten close to him his only words had been a rushed "out of the way brat" as he moved towards the grill. Pan looked up from her silent reverie to find Bra standing in front of her.

"Hey, what's got you so down?"

"Nothing, It's not important."

"Is my brother being a jerk again? If he is I can give him a good kick in the butt," Bra said with a grin.

Pan shook her head and smiled. There was more than one reason that she and Bra were friends.

"It's nothing really. I'm just not feeling very well. I've got to go…"

With those words, Pan walked away. She couldn't tell Bra the truth. That the real reason she was so down is because she couldn't figure out what she had done to upset Vegeta. Pan was headed towards the house when she caught sight of Vegeta and Bulma. Vegeta's eyes locked with hers for a moment before he made a big show of pulling Bulma against him and leaning in close as if to kiss her. Pan felt all the air go out of her. She didn't want to look, didn't want to see him touch her that way, not after last night. It felt like her heart would break as she watched them. She couldn't stay there any longer. Taking to the air, Pan flew home as fast as she could.

Goku frowned as he watched Pan leave. A part of him wanted to chase after her and find out what was wrong but his instincts told him to let her be. He just wished there were something he could do to make things better for her.

Vegeta watched from the corner of his eye as Pan had fled the party and despite the look on his face he felt a harsh pang of guilt. Guilt over his jealousy of his own half breed brat and the way Trunks had been touching Pan. It made every possessive nerve in his body go crazy with jealousy and rage. Pan was his, he had marked her as such and no one, not even his own brat would get in the way of that. He would make sure of that.

Later that evening when Goku and Chichi returned home, Pan faked an upset stomach and headache, and stayed in her room. She didn't want them to see that she was unhappy. She never wanted to see another pitying look on anyone's face ever again. But last night…last night had instilled a tiny seed of hope…one that she hadn't even dared to believe in. This afternoon was only further proof that she had been foolish to believe, for even one moment that she actually meant something to Vegeta With that final thought and the sick sinking feeling in her stomach, Pan fell asleep to the cool caress of summer air blowing in through the open window.

Vegeta kept to the shadows as he peered in through the window and felt something in him shift as he gazed down at Pan. The stricken look on her face had been enough to drive his guilt home. He had never intended to hurt her, not truly. But he also had to keep up the appearance around others. He wanted nothing more than to slip beneath those blankets and cover her body with his. Quietly as he could he slipped through the open window, kneeling beside her. Something about this young Saiyan woman drove him crazy with need. He felt as if he were on fire to his very core. He watched as she shifted in her sleep, his name leaving her lips like a soft caress. He smiled to himself as he brushed his lips along her neck, whispering softly.

"Worry not little one. I have not changed my intentions with you…you are mine woman. MINE."

The soft sound of footsteps in the hall caught Vegeta's attention as he quickly launched himself back out the window and back home. He had been crazy to come here, to sneak into her room, but something in him drove him to see her, to lay his eyes upon her once more.

Vegeta was already in the gravitation room when Pan joined him for their training session. She stood in the doorway for a moment, a little hesitantly as she watched him. She watched the way the muscles in his arms worked as he did another push up, her eyes following the line of his fingers as she remembered the feel of his hands on her making her body her body react, feeling that strange feeling of things low in her body clenching. In that one instant Vegeta raised his head and looked at her. An almost feral look seemed to fill the Saiyan Princes' eyes as he watched her walk into the room.

"You're late woman," he growled softly.

"No I'm not. You're just early," she replied, her eyes gazing very steadily back into the depths of his.

For a moment she felt as if she would become lost in the dark depths of his eyes, shivering as his gaze was an almost physical thing that washed over her. Her breath had turned shallow, faster, her heart pounding as she felt a strange tension and heat surround them. What was happening to them? What was wrong with them that they would react this way? Why did she feel like her body was on fire every time she got near him? Why did her body ache for his touch?

"Come on brat. Let's see what you've got…."

So what did you guys think? I know I kinda left it on a cliff hanger but don't worry the next chapter is coming soon! Please review and remember to be kind! Hope to see everyone in the next chapter.


	5. Falling Deeper

Okay guys, back again with the next chapter! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys are the best! Also just another reminder, this fic is rated M for a reason, so if you are squeamish or don't like that sort of thing, please hit the back button now. As for everyone else, enjoy!

Pan growled softly at Vegeta's words, surprising herself by the primitive sound that escaped her lips. If Vegeta thought she was going to be holding back this time he was crazy. Mentor or not, Saiyan prince or not, she was not going to hold back. He had already left her so confused by his actions, that she was going to show him just how frustrating it all was. She came at him head on, knowing he would think it was an overly obvious move, one she had favored as a child. But he had taught her better than that over the years, and she was going to show him just how much she had learned. She saw Vegeta tensing for that moment when he could turn the move around on her when she suddenly veered to the side at the last second the heel of her foot connecting perfectly with his abdomen.

Vegeta gave a grunt of pain as he was sent tumbling back. The brat had been paying attention after all. Vegeta smirked as he turned and saw Pan floating there. A purely self satisfied smile on her face. She raised her fingers to her head in a mocking salute. Vegeta nodded his head in acknowledgement. Alright, if the brat wanted a real fight, to prove who was better, that's what he would give her. He would show her what Saiyan princes were made of and that she still had a lot to learn.

"Well done, but it takes more than that to stop me." Vegeta said.

He was fast. Pan had forgotten just how fast he was until she felt the very solid hit of his fist connecting with her gut, taking her in the same spot where she had kicked him, but he wasn't going to get the satisfaction of knocking her down. Pan had managed to get a very firm grip on Vegeta and as she stumbled back, she turned what should have been an awkward movement into a smooth rolling motion as she flipped Vegeta over her head, sending him sailing over her. She gave a small smile at the shocked expression on his face. The air around them was growing thicker, heavier. There was something brewing between them in that room. Some unseen force pushing them together, something ancient, something raw, and primal, and real.

" You will pay for that woman. No one throws the prince of Saiyans!"

"Really? Cause it looks like I just did," she replied.

That was the moment that did it. They both knew this was going to be a fight like they had never had before. A true challenge of the other's strengths and weaknesses. They charged one another, their power levels rising fast and faster. The both could feel it, the almost electric charge in the air as their levels grew, but neither was giving an inch as their kicks and punches turned into an almost blinding blur of motion. Pan winced in pain. She was almost positive one of her ribs was broken but Vegeta wasn't doing much better. She was pretty sure she had broken a couple of his ribs too. The shift had become so smooth, almost something she did without even thinking as her power level spiked beyond anything she had ever done before and shifted into super Saiyan.

For the briefest of moments Vegeta was filled with pride and put in awe of the young Saiyan woman before him. She did her father and her ancestors proud.

"If that's the way you want to play it little one so be it!"

Vegeta's power flared, spiking to a fever pitch as he changed to Super Saiyan. Pan was always in awe of seeing him like this, of experiencing the true power of her Saiyan heritage. Her eyes roamed over Vegeta, a heated look in her eyes.

"No holding back…let's go," she said.

"With pleasure."

The rise of power in the air was almost suffocating. Each blow carefully selected, each one blocked, countered in a blur of motion. For the longest time they seemed to be evenly locked in their fight, but Vegeta had had more practice at being Super Saiyan, more time to figure out what would allow him to last longer. How to make each move count. His next blow sent them spiraling towards the far wall where they returned to normal, breathless as they looked at one another from only inches apart.

Vegeta had Pan effectively locked against the cold steel wall of the gravitation room, her legs on either side of his as he kept her trapped there, her hands pinned at the wrists.

"Do you give up?"

"Saiyans never give up," she replied, quoting what he had once told her.

Vegeta shivered, well aware of the position he held her in and uncaring. He could feel the heat of her, just as she could feel the length of him pressing into her. The great building tension in the room growing thick as they stared into the depths of one another's eyes.

"Just remember one thing little Saiyan."

"What's that?" Pan asked, her heart hammering in her chest.

She could feel the hard line of Vegeta's body pressed perfectly against hers, like he had been made to fit her, and she him. She trembled as she felt that choking tension surrounding them, encasing them in this moment.

"You are mine."

Vegeta's lips descended upon hers in that instant, a warm, demanding kiss. A soft moan left her lips as she responded to him, her soft lips moving with his, arching her back, her body against his, drawing a soft growl from the Saiyan prince. Pan was nearly breathless as he kissed along her jaw, to her neck, trailing kisses to the spot where he had marked her and sunk his teeth in once more, reclaiming her as his. Pan cried out, her body going rigid for just a moment. Some primal instinct of her ancestors called out inside her, demanding her, driving her to do the same. She lowered her head without thinking and felt her teeth sink into the soft warm flesh where neck meets shoulder. Vegeta gave his own cry of surprise and pleasure as he felt her mark him. His hands tightened on hers as he laughed silently to himself. She had no idea what she had just done.

"You have no idea what you have done little one."

"W-what do you mean?"

"You have marked me…I am now yours, just as you are mine."

"What does that mean?"

"It means little one, that you and I are a mated pair. You are now my mate…princess.."

Pan's eyes went wide. She had never heard of anything like this, nor had she ever thought it could be anything more than a simple act of shared pleasure between them. Her mind was still reeling when she felt Vegeta's lips on hers once more, his kiss deeper, more demanding than before and she felt him grind against her, drawing high pitched whimpers from her throat. Vegeta suddenly pulled back eyeing the door angrily.

"Someone's coming," he growled as he shoved away from her," Go hit the showers kid."

Before Pan could speak, the door to the gravitation room opened and her Grandfather and Trunks walked in laughing happily.

"Congratulations Kakkot. You managed to enter a room without tearing the door off it's hinges."

Goku grinned, embarrassed that he had broken the door to his friend's home earlier.

"Heh heh. Sorry about that Vegeta. But I did fix it. I was just coming to pick Pan up. Chichi is having hysterics about making sure Pan gets a proper education instead of fighting all the time."

"I was just heading for the showers Grandpa. I'll be ready in a few minutes."

And at that minute Pan was grateful that her Grandfather and Trunks were too far away to see the matching marks on her and Vegeta's necks, or to smell the scent of him all over her body. Because if they asked, she wasn't sure she would have a good enough explanation. Though maybe they would have chalked it up to just being from sparring. Pan's entire body was trembling from more than just being tired as she stepped beneath the hot spray of the showers. She tried not to think about what Vegeta had said to her about them now being mated. What exactly did that mean? How did that change things? This whole thing was so very confusing but yet….she didn't want it to stop. She couldn't deny the attraction she felt to him or the way she reacted to his presence. All she knew was that she had feelings for him that ran deeper than just being his student.

She was still trying to wrap her mind all of this when she stepped out of the showers, dressed in fresh clothes, her raven locks still dripping with water. She spared a glance at Vegeta as she left. He was trying very hard not to acknowledge her.

"See ya Vegeta."

But she was given no response. The Saiyan prince was still doing battle with much more primitive instincts that were coursing through his veins. He had struggled very hard not to kick Kakkorot and his own half breed brat out of the room, he even would have fought them. But he had to keep control, he couldn't let anyone know that there was something between him and Pan. He couldn't even put name to what it was. He only knew there something about her that brought out the beast within him.

Hours later Pan was sighing to herself as she stared down at the books in front of her. She had read the same line ten times now and all she could keep thinking of was Vegeta. She was just glad Trunks was sitting on the opposite side of her where he couldn't see even a glimpse of the mark on her neck. She knew it would fade but she didn't want him to see it, to suspect. Because she knew he wouldn't like the answer and she wasn't quite ready to tell him the truth.

"Helloooo. Earth to Panda, come in please."

"Huh? What?"

Pan suddenly shook her head, coming back to the present. She hadn't been listening to a word Trunks had been saying. Ever since Vegeta had marked her neck, he was all she could think of. And strangely enough, it was almost like…she could feel him, sense his moods, almost like he was there with her. And maybe, in a strange way, he was.

"You haven't heard a single word I said," Trunks laughed, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, "I'm just getting tired. We've been studying for hours."

"Then maybe we should take a break," Trunks said as he leaned in and started push a strand of hair aside from her neck.

"No!" Pan said getting up suddenly.

Trunks frowned up at his girlfriend in confusion. She had never reacted to him this way before. She was acting almost as if she were scared of him What had gotten into her lately. She was different, jittery, ….and something he couldn't put a name to.

"What has gotten into you ?" he asked , standing in front of her," Why are you acting like this? Did I do something wrong?"

Pan looked down at Trunks and couldn't help but feel guilty. She was lying to him…lying to herself and to everyone else around her. But she couldn't tell the truth. But at that moment she wasn't sure if the reason she couldn't tell the truth was because she didn't want to, or because she wasn't ready to face it herself.

"No, you didn't do anything…I'm just…I'm not feeling well. I didn't want you getting sick."

She was clutching at straws and hoping that he believed her.

"If you didn't feel well you should have said something. We could have just hung out or canceled to let you rest," he said as he gathered his books and started for the door.

Trunks stopped midway to the door and looked back at Pan. Why was she always trying to put on a brave face. Goku had said the nightmares were back. It was probably really starting to get to her. It was no wonder she was so jittery and nervous. He should have thought of that before trying to make a move on her. She may be his girlfriend but the physical wasn't all that mattered to him. He loved her. Her feelings came first and right now he was worried sick about her.

"You know…you don't always have to be the brave one. You can tell me if something is wrong. You don't always have to keep it inside," he said, coming to stand in front of her, his hand gently caressing her cheek," I'm always here for you Panda."

Pan didn't know what to say, what to do. Her heart and mind felt like they were being pulled in different directions. She cared for Trunks but…what she felt for Vegeta…when she was with him…it was more. So much more. What was she going to do? …She had to end this…it had to stop. This thing with Vegeta, whatever it was, it needed to stop….but the idea of stopping this new feeling, whatever it was…broke her heart. She felt Trunks wrap his arms around her, and she let him, she clung to him like he was the last solid thing on Earth, trembling in his arms, but not for the same reasons he probably thought.

"M-maybe you should go…I think I need to lay down," Pan said as she slowly pulled back.

"Yeah. You need to rest. I'll see you tomorrow," he replied, kissing her softly.

"See you then."

Pan put on the best fake smile she could, but the moment Trunks was gone Pan grabbed her pillow from her bed and screamed into it, muffling her scream of frustration. She dropped down onto her bed, so worn out, not sure what to do anymore.

_She stood alone in a deafening silence, the land around her a ruined battlefield. A harsh scalding wind whipped her hair in a dark halo around her face. Pan raised an arm in front of her face, blocking the sharp bits of sand from her eyes. When she could finally see again, two figures shuffled forward slowly._

"_Mom? Dad?"_

"_Pan…why?"_

"_Why did you kill us Pan?"_

"_W-wha- I didn't! It wasn't my fault!"_

_The figures of Gohan and Videl shuffled slowly towards her, covered in the wounds they had sustained in battle. Her beautiful mother was bruised and bleeding and her father…her mind didn't seem to want to make sense of what she was seeing. There was so much blood, bits of bone gleaming where it stuck out through the damaged flesh._

"_You killed us Pan….if you had only acted sooner…we would still be alive…"_

"_If we can't live, then neither can you."_

_Hands gripped her legs, holding her in place as she trembled in fear, fighting to get free. She tore at the hands holding her, trying to get them to give even a little but they were like vices on her legs. Too tight for her to move._

"_Dad…Mom…I'm sorry! It wasn't my fault! PLEASE!"_

_But there was no answer, only the crushing feeling of her father's hands wrapping around her throat, pressing in, squeezing , crushing her airways, killing her._

_Pan screamed one long ragged scream with the last of her breath. Everything around her was shaking, like some great Earthquake. It was a deep rumbling of the ground that left her shaking like she would fall apart one piece at a time._

"_Curses woman, be silent!" Vegeta hissed, one hand over Pan's mouth to muffle her scream as he shook her awake._

_Pan's eyes were wide with surprise as she gazed up at Vegeta crouching over her. When the hell had he gotten here? And did it matter? He had rescued her from the nightmare she was having. Her whole body was trembling as she recalled the dream and shook her head. _

"_Vegeta.."_

_In that moment, for the first time in a very long time, Pan allowed herself to show a bit of weakness. She threw arms around Vegeta and clung to him like he was the only solid thing in her universe. She buried her head against his chest, breathing in the scent of him, the feel of him, letting a strange sense of calm wash over her as Vegeta slowly wrapped his arms around her. Vegata stared down at the girl in his arms and felt a genuine concern run through him. He knew that the nightmares had been hard on her when she was a child, he had had no idea how truly bad they were until now._

"_What are you doing here?" Pan whispered as she looked up at him._

_How could he explain it? He had felt her fear, her panic, and he hadn't thought twice. He had simply took to the air and came rushing to her side. All that fear and pain acted like a type of homing beacon directing him to where she was. And all because of the mark they shared. It linked them forever. He would always know when she needed him and vice versa._

"_I knew you needed me. So I came."_

"_But…how?"_

"_Woman, do you still not understand? I told you. We are a mated pair now. I will always know when you need me. "_

_Pan gazed up at him in confusion, her mind still half clouded by the remnants of her nightmare. She was hoping that this would all make sense once her mind had unclouded. But right now she didn't care._

"_When I can think a little straighter you're going to have to explain this all to me."_

"_You're daft woman. But have no fears. I will explain everything."_

_Looking down at her, holding her this close, Vegeta could no longer resist and his lips descended on hers…._

_Okay, I know it's another cliff hanger sorta and I'm sorry it took me so long to post but I wanted to keep things as suspenseful as possible. Please review and remember to be kind! See everyone in the next chapter! _


	6. Awakenings

Hey everyone. Back again. Sorry it took me so long to post the next chapter, I had a bit of computer trouble but now I am back. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed. You guys are the best! So just a friendly reminder this fic is rated M for a reason so if you are squeamish and that isn't your thing, then please hit the back button now. For everyone else, enjoy!

Pan could feel the warm strength of Vegeta's lips on her own as she tilted her head up to meet his demanding kisses. His lips were warm, just like his body. It was strange, her skin felt warm too. Almost too warm, as her nails dug softly into the firm muscles of his shoulders. She could hear the low satisfied growl that left his lips as Vegeta lowered Pan back onto the mattress, his body covering hers almost perfectly as he knelt between her thighs, her t-shirt riding up around her hips. Vegeta growled softly, a primitive sound as he pressed against Pan, careful not to hurt her with his weight, though a part of him didn't really care. Pan arched up against him, letting Vegeta get one teasing feel of her soft body brushing against his.

Vegeta pulled back with a sound that was something between a growl and a snarl as moonlight poured in on them. The moon was nearly full. Tomorrow night would be a full moon. But not just any full moon. There was something different about it. Something neither of them could put a name to. They only knew it was calling to them, drawing on something deep within them. He gazed down at Pan and couldn't place his finger on it but there was something between them, something raw and real and it was growing stronger. Something tied to the moon and the land and their heritage.

"Tomorrow night you will meet me outside the gravitation room the moment Kakkorot is asleep. Is that clear?"

Was she mistaken or was there a deep rolling thunder in his voice as he spoke to her. Pan's heart was hammering in her chest like a wild caged beast, trying to get free. She could only nod at his words, too lost in the strange feeling coursing through her.

"I'll be there…but-"

Vegeta put a finger to her lips, silencing her question.

"Tomorrow little one. Everything will be explained tomorrow night. But until tomorrow night you must stay away from me. Don't even come to train. You must not allow for any suspicion."

With no other word, Vegeta launched himself from her open window, a strange, feral smile on his lips as he flew back home. Tomorrow night he would make her his for sure and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Not Kakkorot and certainly not that half breed brat of his. Pan would be his in every sense of the word.

Pan lay back against the mattress and her entire body trembled. Her skin was hot, too hot. Why was it so hot in her room? She couldn't seem to get comfortable no matter how hard she tried. A strange sound escaped her throat, something between a whimper and a growl. Her body temperature seemed to be spiking for no reason at all that she could fathom. The rest of the night she tossed and turned, restless, unable to escape the memory of Vegeta's hands on her skin. Unable to take it anymore, she threw back her covers and ran for the shower. Pan turned the water on as cold as she could get it, and stepped beneath the spray, still fully clothed. The spray of the water was like knives of ice on her skin as she stood beneath the spray, high pitched whimpers leaving her throat in a soft chorus of a song so ancient, she didn't even realize she was doing it.

Finally soaked to the bone, and shivering, Pan turned the water up just enough to get to a normal body temperature and shut the shower, moving almost achingly slow back into her room. Grabbing a fresh t-shirt and panties from the drawer, Pan changed clothes and slipped beneath the covers. And finally she was able to sleep only the dreams that filled her mind this time, were of a different nature. She couldn't make sense of the shapes, the people, the words, but somehow, even in her sleep hazed mind, she knew it was all important.

Chichi paced back and forth in her bedroom. She could have sworn she had heard whispered voices in Pan's room. Had Trunks snuck in after they had all gone to sleep? Why would Pan do such a thing? And how was she going to ground her for this? How do you ground a teenager for being a teenager? Chichi scowled harder to herself. She was going to ground Pan till she was out of college! No way was she going to let her granddaughter mess up her life like this! Walking over to Goku she grabbed her pillow and smacked him as hard as she could with her pillow.

"Goku wake up! You have to do something!"

"Huh? What? Something wrong? "Goku asked, sitting up in bed.

"You granddaughter has a boy in her room! I heard them talking! You have to go in there and drag Trunks out of there!"

Goku frowned a moment confused. Pan had Trunks in her room? That was nothing new. They were always together.

"Trunks is over here all the time," he said rolling back over in bed.

"But it's nighttime Goku! And they're in her room! In her bed!" Chichi nearly shrieked as she hit him with the pillow again," Get in there and do something!"

"Okay, okay! I'm going!"

Goku shook his head as he padded down the hall to Pan's room. Chichi could be so mean when she was cranky, but that was part of what he loved about her. He just didn't understand this strange academic addiction of hers. He knew she wanted Pan to do well and so did he, but he also wanted her to enjoy life. He chuckled to himself; it was way too late at night to be thinking this deeply, especially with an angry Chichi hovering like a storm cloud behind him.

"Alright Pan there better not be a boy-"

Goku's words stopped short when he opened the door and saw Pan sound asleep in her bed, alone. He shook his head and turned around to look at Chichi. He gave her a look that clearly stated "you woke me for nothing" which only seemed to anger her more.

"I know what I heard Goku!," she hissed, "She had a boy in here, I'm sure of it."

And with that she stomped off back to bed leaving Goku alone in the doorway of Pan's room. He sighed and looked at his granddaughter again before quietly shutting the door. He was just glad that Pan was finally starting to move on from the nightmares. It had been a couple nights already since the last one and she was even acting happier these days. He didn't know what had caused it, but he was grateful for it. Yawning to himself, Goku trudged back to bed and hoped that Chichi wasn't going to make him sleep on the couch….Again.

Pan yawned and rolled over again, she had barely been awake when her grandparents had opened the door to her room. She had only caught part of what her grandpa had said but obviously they knew something had happened in her room tonight because why else would they come in her room like this and check up on her? She would have to warn Vegeta about it when she saw him tomorrow night. A small smile curved her lips as that thought consumed her and she was taken by sleep once more.

When Pan awoke she immediately could sense something different within herself. A strange anxious, almost aggressive feeling that had never been there before but still, should could not seem to shake it. Her skin was hotter than before, hotter than it had been before last night and there seemed to be nothing she could do to ebb the angry , boiling tide that was her body. Somehow it seemed like every room she stood in was closing in around her.

Chichi frowned as she watched Pan eat her breakfast. Pan seemed to be eating even more than Goku was today! There was something strange about her. Something off. And not just her increase in appetite. But what was it? She seemed to be sweating up a storm despite the coolness of the house. Walking up to her granddaughter she put a hand to her head and gasped.

"Pan you're burning up! You should be in bed!"

"I'm fine," Pan mumbled from around her mouthful of toast.

"No you aren't! Get to bed immediately! I don't want to see put so much as a toe outside that door young lady!"

Chichi practically dragged her granddaughter down the hall and into her room. She put Pan to bed and rushed back to the kitchen to make Pan a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

Pan sighed angrily as she threw a book at the wall. How could she sit here all day knowing that Vegeta would be waiting for her tonight? And how could she take her mind off this long agonizing wait? Sighing once more, Pan wrapped her arms around a pillow and growled softly to herself as she watched the hours slowly tick by.

At some point in that long wait she had managed to drift in and out of a strange sleep that filled her mind's eye with confused images and strange drum beats. She didn't understand. It was too jumbled together, too confusing to even put words to.

_She was someone else…somewhere else. There were drums playing in an ancient rhythm, strange music filled the air as she glided out before the crowd. She wasn't the only young female there, not the only one vying for his attention. To be the one chosen. The music changed, the air changed, became more charged and she began to dance. It was a strange, almost flurry of graceful movements, rhythmic, seductive, meant to entice and appeal to the males gathered in the circle. The older females watched, some with pride, others wary of the choices made tonight. She caught him looking, saw the look, the heat in his gaze as he watched her and knew that she would be his chosen. She moved slowly, keeping rhythm, never losing stride as she moved down the steps to dance before him, her body moving in a liquid grace that was all her own as the full moon beat down on them. _

_He suddenly stands, that feral predatory gleam in his eye as one strong arm encircles her, pulling her to him. She has been chosen before all of them. Above all of them. She will be his and his alone. His only, his princess…._

Pan awoke gasping for air, her body trembling with the strange anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach, puzzled by the dream that had haunted her sleep. It had been so strange…she had never experienced anything like it in her life. Not even as a child with a vivid imagination had she ever dreamed anything so vividly. Only her nightmares had ever been so clear to her. A shiver ran through her body, her skin feeling like it was on fire, burning from the inside out. She suddenly realized it was dark. Looking at the clock, a small smile curved her lips as she crept quietly out her down and down the hall. There was no light peeking out from beneath the door to her grandparents' room. Creeping back to the sanctum of her bedroom, Pan pushed a chair beneath the door and locked it before going to her open window and taking to the air.

She could feel him, feel his urgency, his need, even from this distance as she flew towards the gravitation room where Vegeta would be waiting. She could feel it like a pounding rhythm in her blood. Tonight there would be no mysteries. Tonight, her questions would be answered.

Okay, I know it's another cliff hanger but I really hope that everyone liked it. Please review and remember to be kind! I hope to see everyone in the next chapter!


	7. Giving in to Instinct

Hey everyone. Back again with another chapter. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. You guys are the best! Sorry again about taking so long to post. Things have been chaotic for me. But once again for those just tuning in, this fic is rated M for a reason so if you are squeamish or that isn't your thing, please hit the back button now. For everyone else, enjoy!

Pan flew through the night sky, following an unseen thread, an unseen force that was pushing her towards Vegeta. He would be waiting for her, and somehow, she knew he felt this strange pull as much as she did. She could feel him like a physical presence, calling out to her. As she reached the gravitation room, she hovered a moment, keeping in the shadows as she made sure every light in the house was out. She didn't want anyone to see her. She knew he was down there, waiting for her, and the moment she thought it, she looked down to find Vegeta's heated gaze locked onto her and a strange shiver ran through her body, drawing a gasp from her lips.

She landed silently beside, her every nerve on fire as she felt that strange electric current flowing between them. She wondered if Vegeta touched her in that moment if it would become a physical thing to run down his arm and into her. She stood there feeling the intensity in his gaze as his eyes wandered over her with an almost proprietary gleam. She could feel the heat in his eyes, like some invisible hand caressing her already too hot skin. In that moment she wanted, almost needed for him to close that small distance between them and touch her, but was met with only disappointment when Vegeta took to the air and gave her a look that clearly said she was meant to follow him and didn't look back. She wondered for a brief moment why that didn't bother her, before taking to the air to follow him.

Vegeta didn't bother to look back, he didn't need to. He could feel Pan's presence through that invisible tether that bound them together. He had wanted desperately to touch her the moment she had landed, but he didn't trust his control tonight. There was no guarantee that he wouldn't have taken her right then and there and claimed her as his own.

He knew she was back there, following him over the large distance he was putting between them and their homes. He didn't want there to be even the slightest chance of them being seen. The farther they were from home the better. He smiled to himself as he felt that strange primal need coursing through his veins, felt the pull of the moon and this strange feeling that seemed to be linked to it. He guided them over fields and streams, over lakes and forests until at last he brought them to a small, intimate clearing in the middle of a large forest. He smiled that self-satisfied smile of his as he eyed the natural altar in the middle of the clearing. There was no other word to describe the strange rock formation that grew up out of the ground. There was one large grey stone coming up out of the ground supporting another larger flat stone at a slight angle.

Pan landed silently behind Vegeta, careful not to touch, unsure of what would happen if she closed that small distance between them and closed that strange circuit of power between them. She moved just a small step forward to see what Vegeta had been staring at so intently when her eyes came to rest on that strange natural altar. A shiver ran through her at the site of it as she glanced around this little clearing, well hidden by the trees that surrounded it. Giving an almost whimpering sigh she closed her eyes, tilting her head up to the moonlight, basking in the light it gave off. There was something different about it tonight, it was closer, larger, and seemed to be calling to her, like some strange ancient rhythm that was flowing through her veins.

She couldn't quite explain it, it was like she could hear those ancient drums, that strange flowing music in her head, the same music she had heard in her dreams. With eyes still closed, Pan slowly began to dance, recalling the steps from her dream as if she had done them a million times, as if she had always known them. Her body moved with a fluid grace as she moved to music that only she could hear.

Vegeta watched as Pan began to dance, and rather than wonder if the girl had gone daft he could only watch her, mesmerized by the movements, the sway of her hips, the way her body moved and in some strange way, one that he couldn't explain, he could hear the music, feel it as he watched Pan move and it only increased the strange new urging running through his blood. He couldn't explain the feeling taking over him, only that he wanted her, needed her to be his in every way. To be his princess. Did Pan even realize how rare a treasure she really was? She was more Saiyan than human, far more like him than even his own half breed brat. And she would be his. He watched with clenched fists and a growing need as she danced around him, circling, teasing with every move, every arch of her back, every sway of her hips moving to the rhythm in her blood, no, not just in her blood, in _their _blood.

Pan swayed as she felt the power within her growing, her body a receptacle for this strange power, this need growing inside her. She had never felt anything like this, it was an aching so powerful it was almost painful and it was only getting more powerful, getting worse. Pan was panting softly, her blood pounding in her veins. When she opened her eyes at last, her gaze locked with Vegeta's and saw in them something that could only be described as wild and primal and ancient.

Vegeta had no words, no thought but the need coursing through him, calling to him as he moved towards Pan with an almost predatory and feral movement. Pan made no move to run, to turn away from him. She was utterly fearless in the face of his more primal and wild nature, the true nature of all Saiyans. Instead she embraced it. Vegeta's hands closed around her upper arms and a gasp tore from both their throats as the circuit of power was closed at last in a heart pounding, soul searing rush that left them nearly breathless. The stood that way, frozen for just a moment in time, their eyes locked as they both, for the first time truly understood the importance of this moment, the depth of what it would mean for both of them. It was their point of no return but they each knew, that that for both of them, there was no turning back, there never had been.

Pan glanced back when something solid and cool brushed the backs of her legs. Somehow, they had backed up to that strange natural altar and Vegeta was already lifting her onto it, his hands exploring as his mouth covered hers, drawing a soft moan from her lips. She gasped and arched her back when she felt the strong warmth of Vegeta's hands on her breasts, pulling her shirt up over her head, letting it fall to the side of the altar. She barely had time to register the cold of the smooth stone against her bare back before Vegeta was removing her bottoms. She could feel a blushing heat fill her cheeks as Vegeta sat back for a moment, admiring her in her natural glory. His eyes traveled slowly down her body, taking in every part of her and a low, warm growl trickled from his throat. Pan whimpered softly as he looked at her and felt an almost sharp, aching need rushing through her when Vegeta began to strip. It was true that Pan and Trunks had fooled around before but until that moment back in the shower, she had never seen a man naked, and even then she had been too embarrassed by her actions at that time to really take in the sight of Vegeta. She let him see in her eyes what she thought of him as her eyes traveled over every inch of him, from his broad shoulders, down the muscled expanse of his chest and lower. She blushed slightly as her eyes returned to his and saw in them the same feral heat she felt in hers.

A part of Vegeta wanted to be gentle with her, knowing that Pan had never been taken before, but there was nothing gentle in him tonight. The pull of the moon and the strange coursing power that tethered them together was too much for them as Vegeta moved to settle himself between her thighs. Pan moaned softly when she felt his hand moving slowly against her, his fingers teasing her to readiness beyond anything she had felt. Her body trembled as her hips moved to meet his fingers as they slid slowly in and out of her, her body responding to every movement, the smallest flick of his fingers inside her.

Vegeta was fighting the animal instinct inside himself as he withdrew his fingers, that feral smile on his face as he positioned himself at her entrance, the drumming rhythm of his blood pounding inside him driving him as he plunged inside her. Pan cried out as Vegeta entered her, her body arching up off the stone altar, her nails digging into his back, leaving little half-moon imprints in his skin, drawing blood.

Their bodies moved together in an ancient rhythm, hearts pounding, power coursing through their viens as Vegeta's thrusts grew deeper, faster. Soft cries of pleasure and soft, almost animalistic growls filled the night air. Pan's body trembled beneath Vegeta's as she felt that strange sensation filling her, like a coil tightening low in her stomach, growing tighter and tighter with every thrust Vegeta made. Soft, whimpering, almost desperate cries spilled from her throat. Neither of them could put words to the feeling growing inside them as they moved together, their bodies fitting together perfectly, made to fit one another. Veteta's mouth covered Pan's in a passionate kiss, demanding and gentle at the same time as his mouth moved in a slow trail down her neck, his breath a warm wind on her skin as his mouth hovered over that spot where neck and shoulder meet. Pan's own mouth hovered on the same spot on Vegeta's neck, both of them shaking, feeling that coil grow ever tighter inside them as Vegeta moved in and out of her, each thrust faster, harder, deeper than the last. The power was growing, getting strong like a great giant wave that would come crashing over them and break on the surf. And suddenly quicker than it had grown, in that one moment, with the moonlight shining down on them that coil of power snapped and their mouths covered that spot on the others' neck and teeth sank into flesh.

Pan screamed around that spot on Vegeta's neck as her body arched up off the altar as she came, her body clinging to Vegeta's as the moment seemed to last. Vegeta gave a long low growl of pleasure as he spilled himself inside her, filling Pan with his seed and forever marking her as his mate, bonding them together to the ancient pounding of drums that only they could hear.

Pan couldn't seem to hear past the pounding of blood in her ears. The night had faded quicker than she had ever wanted it to. She was sore and aching as Vegeta helped her rise off the altar and gather her clothing. The sun would be rising soon. They had spent the entire not upon that altar, with only the moonlit sky and the trees to stand witness. Pan lost count of the number of times that Vegeta had taken her, had brought her screaming his name as pleasure had raced through both of them and their bond grew tighter. She knew from the aching in her muscles that there were cuts and scrapes here and there on her body. Though Vegeta had his own set of marks that were just as impressive as the ones she had.

"Did I hurt you?" Vegeta asked, concern in his voice as he watched the way Pan winced when she moved.

He had never intended to cause her pain, but that night there had been no controlling the animal instinc that had seemed to overtake him.

"A little," Pan admitted with a blush," But in a good way."

The last was said with a smile. She didn't want Vegeta to think he had caused her so much harm that he would be afraid of ever touching her that way again. Yes there had been parts that were a bit painful, but she had enjoyed the pain mixed in with the pleasure. She valued all of it.

"Come little one. We want to get back in time to give ourselves an alibi. You don't want anyone to wonder do you?"

Pan blushed deep shades of Crimson as she looked up at Vegeta. She knew he was partly teasing her, but just that one remark brought back memories of last night that had her shivering and biting her lip as she squirmed with the memory.

They flew back to the gravitation room in silence. There was no need for words between them, because no words could ever do justice to what had taken place last night. Pan knew that she was now his, just as he was hers, and that would never change, no matter what took place. What had happened last night had been beyond anything she had ever in even her wildest dreams hoped to experience.

"Come on brat, let's give those aching muscles a rest under the hot showers,"Vegeta said, as he lead her into the gravitation room.

He was almost certain that no one had seen them arrive. It was still too early for anyone to be up. It would give them enough time to shower, and to have a valid excuse for why they were both bruised and scraped up. If everyone thought they had been training they would just assume things had gotten out of hand. And that was exactly what he wanted them to think.

Pan stood beneath the hot spray of water and wished that Vegeta could have joined her just as he had done that first night when things had changed between them. But she knew if someone were to come in there would be no excuse for why he was there with her in the showers. Pan shivered as she rinsed the scent of his skin from her body and sighed. At least when people commented on her getting a work out it wouldn't be a complete lie. She could feel every ache, every scrape and bite and cherished every one. As Pan dried off and dressed she could swear that she heard voices in the training area and stepped out to find her Grandfather there with Vegeta. She tried to hide the surprise on her face at the sudden disaster area the training area had become. It looked like Vegeta had done everything he could to make it look convincing so their story wouldn't be questioned. The room was trashed.

"There you are Pan!"

"H-hi grandpa."

She didn't know what to say until she saw the broken door to the gravitation room. She knew that Vegeta hadn't broken the door when they came in this morning.

"Grandpa if you keep breaking the doors, they're going to have to start charging you," Pan said with a little laugh.

Goku had the grace to look embarrassed. He kept forgetting his strength. But when he realized that Pan was gone that morning he had panicked. And his first instinct was to seek help from his friend to help find her.

"I'll fix it, don't worry. I already promised Bulma I would replace it," Goku said as he took in the sight of his granddaughter.

Goku shook his head. Vegeta hadn't been kidding when he said their training had gotten out of hand. But still….if all she had done was come out to train, why had her door been blocked up? He hadn't told Chichi because he knew what she would say and she would want to nail every window shut but it still struck him as strange. Putting the thought aside, Goku put an arm around his granddaughter.

"What do you say we go get some breakfast? Your grandma's in the kitchen with Bulma cooking up something to eat for everyone."

"Sure grandpa, that sounds great."

Pan glanced back at Vegeta who was doing his best to straighten up what he could of the training area he had so convincingly wrecked.

"Vegeta….thanks…"

That one word seemed a poor substitute for what she wanted to say but couldn't, at least not with her grandpa there. But for now it would have to do. Vegeta gave her a look that while brief, spoke the words that he had wanted to say back but couldn't. Instead he gave a half grunt and went back to what he was doing.

"Any time brat."

Pan tried not to let her mind wander to thoughts of Vegeta and what had happened last night as they walked towards the house, and she certainly didn't look forward to the looks she would get when they entered the kitchen. Thankfully her grandmother didn't say anything right away as Pan sat down beside Trunks.

"Whoa! Pan! What happened to you?"

"It's nothing," she replied picking up a few pieces of bacon from the plate on the table," We just went a little overboard this morning with my training."

Trunks shook his head, anger playing across his face.

"My dad needs to tone it down a bit. He's being way too rough with you."

"It's fine. I held my own. Besides, how am I supposed to get any better if he takes it easy on me?"

It was an old argument. One they had had many times before. Trunks didn't mind that Pan liked to train and spar with the rest of them but he had a tendency to be over protective of her. It had always gotten on her nerves. She didn't need him to keep her safe, and you can't always protect the ones you love no matter how much you try. Her parents deaths had taught her that.

Pan was just biting into a piece of bacon when she felt him coming towards the house. Somehow the connection between them had grown every time he had taken her last night and she knew that he would be walking into the kitchen at any second. Right as the knowledge filled her head, he walked in looking around the kitchen. His eyes stopped on Pan for a moment. Did anyone else see the look in his eyes when he watched her? Or was it too quick for anyone else to see? She quickly averted her eyes back to her breakfast when her grandmother's sharp edged voice rang through the room.

"VEGETA! What is wrong with you? Who do you think you are being so rough with a teenage girl, huh? You could have seriously hurt her! Don't you ever get that way with her again or you'll have to answer to me mister!"

Pan nearly choked on her toast, coughing to cover the laughter as her grandmother scolded Vegeta. If she only knew…Pan swallowed back her laughter when she felt that first small sense of Vegeta's displeasure. She knew he could handle dealing with her grandmother but she still found it very funny.

"Silence woman. I don't need you telling me how to train a Saiyan warrior. "

Pan watched as Chichi gave a little "humph" and turned back to her conversation with Bulma. She knew Vegeta wasn't going to give them away but her grandmother really needed to not push anything. She didn't want her grandmother to snoop around and find out what was going on. She knew what would happen if she did.

"Hello! Earth to Pan!"

"Huh? What?"

Pan shook herself from her thoughts to find Trunks waving his hand up and down in front of her face.

"I was saying we should catch a movie tonight. What do you think?"

"Uh…yeah, sure. Sounds good," she replied, already shivering from the disapproval she felt from Vegeta.

Pan sighed. How was she going to get out of this movie? After last night she knew there was no way she would ever see Trunks in the same light as she once had. It just wasn't there, and the connection she had with Vegeta was so intense…it was like she couldn't breathe. How was she going to explain this to people when it got out? And it would get out, because it couldn't stay a secret forever. And what was she going to do about Trunks? Several hours later she still didn't have any answers….

So what did you guys think? Sorry again for taking so long to post this. I'll be getting to work on the next chapter right away! Hope everyone liked it and I'll see you all in the next chapter! Please review and remember to be kind!


	8. Accidents Will Happen

Hey everyone, first off thank you sooooo much to those who reviewed, you guys are the best! Sorry it has taken so long for the next chapter, I was without a computer for a while ( my hard drive tanked out on me) so now that I have it back I am here with the next chapter! Once again, as always, this fic is rated M for a reason so if that isn't your thing, please hit the back button now! For everyone else, enjoy!

Pan sighed as she went through her morning stretches. Her body still ached in some places, but she valued each ache, each small pain. A small smile played over her lips as she recalled what had taken place between her and Vegeta. She had never imagined anything like this happening but now that it had, she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Pan glanced up from her stretches as the door to the gravitation room opened. She had been expecting Vegeta to come walking in, but her eyes widened in surprise when her Uncle Goten and Trunks walked in together.

"Hey Pan, how's my favorite niece?" Goten asked, ruffling her raven locks.

"I'm your only niece," she grumbled fixing her hair," And I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"I just dropped in to see Trunks and Bra and thought I would catch up on some training. Trunks said you and Vegeta were going to be in here so I thought I would join you. Where is Vegeta anyway?"

Pan shrugged and tried to hide her disappointment at her uncle and Trunks joining them. She had wanted to be alone with Vegeta and this intrusion was highly unwelcome.

"No clue, I just got here a little bit a go and he wasn't here yet."

Goten watched his niece and the way she winced every now and again. He had heard all about her and Vegeta getting out of hand with their training. If he hadn't known how important her training was to her he would have suggested she not train at all today. But he knew his niece was horribly stubborn and would never go for it.

"Finally managed to drag yourself in for training I see," Vegeta half growled as he eyed his son and Goten, not bothering to hide his contempt at their intrusion.

"Yeah…I uh, I hope you don't mind us coming in. You're always after me to train more."

Pan could sense Vegeta's anger and had to hide her smile. At least she knew he was just as displeased with this intrusion as she was. Pan stood stretching one last time as she turned to look at Vegeta and couldn't help but give a small smile at the looked that crossed his face as he took in her form. She wore a tight fitting t-shirt and short shorts, her stomach flashing as she moved.

"Ready to start old man?" she asked with a slight grin.

"Hmph. We'll see who's ready," he replied, "You two, over there. Pan, you're mine."

Pan grinned as she heard the almost possessive growl in his voice when he spoke to her. She loved the way the words seemed to send small tremors down to her very core. A small smile tweaked her lips as she floated backward carefully, watching the predatory way Vegeta moved. He was going to play this up for all it was worth if it gave them an excuse to touch and she knew it. They just had to be careful now that her uncle and Trunks would be training with them.

Thankfully however , Trunks and Goten quickly got lost in their own training. It had been a long time since they had trained together and the two of them didn't even seem to notice the way Vegeta would let his hands linger when he would grab onto Pan, the way those touches turned into small caresses, or the way he would let his body brush against hers in just the right places as they collided. By the end of it they were both panting from more than just exhaustion. Vegeta was fighting everything he had inside him to stop himself from taking her then and there in front of Trunks and Goten. Vegeta gave her a heated look as she wiped herself down with a towel, a look that promised wicked things in dark places.

Pan was so lost in that dark look that she didn't notice the ki blast coming at her until it was too late.

"Pan watch out!"

Trunks hadn't meant for his shot to go wide and he tried so hard to control it, but he had gotten careless in his training, or lack thereof, and it got away from him. He was far more out of practice than he realized until he saw the shocked look on Pan's face just before the blast sent her careening into the wall.

Everything had slowed down to a crawl. There hadn't been time to block and she was too exhausted from her own training to have moved. But Pan had all the time in the world to see that bright blast of power hurtling towards her. Pan screamed as Trunk's blast threw her into the wall, her head going back, smashing into the cold, un-caring steel wall of the training room. Pan had a brief moment of blurred images, Vegeta's worried face over hers before everything faded to black.

So what did you all think? Sorry it's a bit short but I hope everyone enjoyed it! Please review and remember to be kind! See everyone in the next chapter!


	9. Damaged

Okay, first off let me just say a great big THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed. You guys are the greatest! Also, let me say sorry it has taken so long to update, had some recent issues here that prevented me from getting this posted. But here it is! Just a reminder, this fic is rated M for a reason so if that's not your cup of tea please move along and hit the back button now. For everyone else, enjoy!

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE YOU BRAT?" Vegeta growled as he grabbed Trunks and slammed him into the wall, nearly choking him.

"I-It was an accident! I didn't mean to!"

Trunks had never seen such firey rage in his father's eyes. It border lined on hatred as they both looked at Pan's all too still form lying on the floor.

It was taking everything Vegeta had not to rip into his son. He wanted to beat him bloody for what had happened to Pan, and it was a struggle not to hurt him. But he knew in the back of his mind it would only give them away. Slowly, he lowered Trunks and shoved him aside as he knelt down and carefully picked up Pan.

"I'm taking her inside. Call a doctor."

Vegeta sped into the house, wasting no time in getting Pan upstairs and put into bed. She had to live. She had to. He grasped her limp hand in his, a fear he had never known before, flowing through him. There…he could still sense her….faint, but there. His princess was alive. And he would do all he could to keep her that way.

"Vegeta….."

Vegeta's eyes widened at the soft sound of his name on her lips, hoping she had woken, but his heart sank when he realized she was still unconscious, his name a part of some dream she must have been having.

"I'm here Pan….I won't leave you…"

The words were more a vow than anything. He wasn't about to leave the young Saiyan woman he had fallen in love with. Not when it had taken him so long to realize what he had known all along. That Pan had always been meant to be his.

Pan whimpered in her sleep, her arms and ribs…..everything ached…well…almost everything….her lower body felt strange….something wasn't right. Why couldn't she feel her legs? She could hear the soft sound of whispering voices outside…..Her grandpa…..her grandma….why was she crying? The soft, angry growl of Vegeta's voice, Trunks and Goten….a voice she didn't recognize and others. But why were they whispering? Pan blinked up into the low lit light of the room. She glanced around the room, not sure she wanted to move just yet. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was training, the look in Vegeta's eyes and then….her eyes flew open wide as she remembered Trunk's ki blast hurtling towards her. It was like being stuck on train tracks with all those tons of steel hurtling towards you and not being able to move because your feet were caught in the tracks. She shivered as she took another look around the room and realized she was in one of the medical rooms in Bulma's house. They had set up their own equivalent to a hospital some time ago and now here she was in it. How badly was she hurt?

Pan coughed to clear her throat and to try and swallow the panic that was slowly building inside her. Pan shifted in bed and gasped loudly as pain ripped through her. She bit back the scream that was creeping up her throat and the blinked back the tears that stung her eyes. It hurt, but she was stronger than this. She would not scream. Letting out a breath she had been holding, Pan sighed as the pain eased and the door to the room opened.

Pan blinked against the brighter light as her grandparents, Trunks, Vegeta, Bulma, her Uncle Goten and Bra walked in with the man who had been her doctor pretty much all of her life. She frowned as she looked at the stricken looks on all their faces, the reddened eyes of Trunks, who wouldn't even look at her and lastly, at Vegeta. Even he had a strange look on his face that she couldn't decipher. But she could feel the worry , the unease, and the…fear?….coming off of him in waves.

"What's going on?" Pan asked, unable to hide the suspicion in her voice.

Why were they all looking at her like that? Why wouldn't any of them look her in the eye? Even Vegeta refused to look her in the eye, as if he were afraid of what she would see there.

She watched them all as the doctor stepped forward. The too solemn look on his face was almost too much, it set panic pulsing through her veins. She would not panic yet, not yet, not when she wasn't even sure what was going on.

"Pan, do you remember what happened ?"

"I was training….Trunk's ki blast got away from him….it hit me…that's all I remember."

She looked up at the almost chokingly cut off sob from Trunks. His eyes were red from crying, tears slipping down his face. She knew he felt bad for hurting her but it was nothing for tears. She was fine….wasn't she?

"Pan…." The doctor sighed as he rubbed his glasses and put them back on, " I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you….You were hurt quite badly by that blast…if you had had time to block….perhaps it would have been different….you spine was badly damaged in the blast….there is a very large chance….that….well….."

The doctor sighed again, his eyes sorrowful as he gazed at the young woman before him.

"There is a chance you may never walk again…"

"What?...no….you're kidding right? This is some kind of joke! It has to be!"

Panic was pounding through her. Never walk again? Never feel the grass between her toes or run or train…..Then it all made sense…..the tears, the way no one would look at her…it suddenly all made sense….

"I understand…."

The doctor frowned as he saw the look on Pan's face. It almost made him not want to tell her the other news…he shook his head.

"I need a moment alone with my patient."

Pan didn't look at her family and friends as they stepped out, she couldn't even look Vegeta in the eye. He would never want her again….

"Pan, there is something else we need to discuss."

"What?"

"I did not tell your grandparents as you are legally of age of consent but…..you need to know so you can make the proper choices for yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

"While you were unconscious I had to do an ultra sound to determine where all the damage was….your ultra sound revealed something rather important…..Pan, are you aware that you are pregnant?"

"I'm what? That isn't possible….we only….and just last night….it was only…."

Pan shook her head in disbelief. Now not only was she a freak, she was a pregnant freak! How was that even possible? They had only been together last night…and he was her first…..it wasn't possible!

"I do not know how it is possible….perhaps it is your unique heritage that allowed such a miracle to occur, but I assure you my dear it is true. "

Pan shook her head. It was all too much to take in….Not being able to walk….pregnant…..why was this all happening? This wasn't what she had ever expected or wanted for her life….how was she going to deal with all of this? She couldn't tell Vegeta….and Trunks….what was he going to think? He would probably scream at her….call her a cheater….and he would be right…and she would deserve every rotten thing he said to or about her…..and her grandparents….how would she face them?

"Could you leave me alone now please?" Pan asked, not looking up from where her hands were clenched together on the bed sheets.

"Certainly….I've left a card for you on the table there if you would like to speak to someone about your situation….Get some rest Pan. We'll speak later."

Pan didn't acknowledge the doctor as he left. All she heard was the soft click of the door shutting. She didn't want to talk to the doctor later. She didn't want to talk to anyone. There was nothing anyone could do to change what had happened. And as the reality of that thought settled in, and her hand rested lightly over her stomach, the tears began to fall…

So what did you guys think? Sorry it's kinda on the short side but I hope everyone likes it. More coming soon! Please review and remember to be kind!


	10. Aftermath

Hey everyone, back again with another lovely chapter! Hope everyone enjoyed the last one and thanks again to everyone who reviewed. You are the best! Again, this fic is rated M for a reason so if it's not your thing, please hit the brakes and hit the back button. For everyone else, enjoy!

Pan lay quietly, her tears finally stopped, the only sound in the room, the occasional soft drip of the IV. She didn't want this to be real….she couldn't imagine never walking again….The doctor had said there was only a chance….so that meant there had to be a chance that she would walk again, right? She sighed as darkness descended on her thoughts. All she could think of was that now that she couldn't walk, she doubted she would be able to feel anything below her waist, which meant she would never again know the pleasure she shared with Vegeta for that one perfect moment….and how would she tell him she was pregnant? A million thoughts flew through her mind….the pity looks she would get….the way everyone would treat her would change…..

"DAMN IT!"

Pan slammed her fist into the side of the bed, over and over as she cursed herself for being so foolish, so careless and stupid in her actions. Her knuckles were bloody by the time she stopped, and gasped for air. She blinked back angry tears as she half laughed to herself. This was karma, her punishment for falling in love with Vegeta, for sleeping with him…..poor Bulma would be crushed when she found out….if she found out.

Just then the door to her room creaked open and Trunks slipped in. The look on his face was too much. There was so much guilt and pity there. She couldn't stand to see him look that way.

"Pan?"

"Hey…" she replied, reaching one hand out to him.

She saw the look on Trunk's face when she reached out her hand, the look that clearly meant more than any words could ever say. A look almost like relief washed over him at that outstretched hand.

Trunks was cautious as he stumbled forward and took Pan's hand in his. Her hand was always smaller than his, but seeing her like this, now, in the bed , she looked so helpless. Her hand was cold in his as he wrapped his hand tightly in hers to warm it.

"I don't know what to say….I feel like saying I'm sorry wouldn't be enough….But I am Pan…I'm sorry…I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I would never hurt you, you have to know that. I could never hurt the most important person in my life. I'm so sorry Pan…."

Tears fell from Trunk's eyes in rivers and guilt filled Pan's heart. She was the one who should be sorry. Trunks loved her, truly loved her and she had betrayed him with his father…..he would never forgive her and she didn't deserve to be forgiven.

"Trunks….it's okay….really….it was an accident. I know you didn't mean to hurt me….you never would. I've always known that….You didn't mean to let that blast get away from you. I should have paid better attention but I didn't. "

" It's not okay Pan! How can you even forgive me for this? I heard the doctor….I really messed you up….because of me you may never walk again! How can you forgive me for that?" Trunks sobbed as he buried his head in Pan's lap, his heart breaking over having hurt the woman he loved.

"Because I love you….that's how…..I know you didn't do it to hurt me….it was an accident Trunks. Just an accident….please don't cry anymore….please….."

Pan slowly ran her fingers through Trunk's hair. She didn't want him to beat himself up over what had happened. It had been a horrible accident and she knew that. And she knew that Trunks knew that. But she knew this side of him, the emotional side that sometimes could get the best of him. It was a side only she had really gotten to see.

"At least I won't have to worry about you training anymore," Trunks said with a half smile.

Pan frowned, a sense of anger coming over her then. Her training was important to her, Trunks knew that. Why would he suddenly make such a harsh comment on something that mattered to her so much?

"You were always getting hurt training. Especially lately, Dad is way too rough with you….I don't like how hurt you were…..how rough he always is with you….maybe if he hadn't been so rough with you, you might have been able to move in time…."

"Wait….are you blaming Vegeta for this?"

"Well if he wasn't so rough-"

"Your dad and my training had nothing to do with this! Your dad isn't the one who lost control, you were! And he was never so rough that I couldn't handle myself against him! I got hurt because you don't train nearly enough and were screwing around with my uncle instead of concentrating on what you were doing! Maybe if you trained more this wouldn't have happened and I'd still be whole!"

Pan's hands flew to her mouth, surprised by her own outburst. She didn't mean what she had said, not really, even if some of it was true. Trunks hadn't been paying attention, even if he had tried to keep that blast in check he should have been watching what he was doing. A part of her wanted to blame Trunks but she couldn't put it all on him, she should have been better watching her surroundings instead of getting lost in Vegeta's gaze. Pan blinked back tears, just thinking of Vegeta made her heart break.

"I don't get you….," Trunks said standing up," I always knew you were close with my Dad, he really helped you when your parents died…..but now you're sitting here screaming at me like I kicked your favorite puppy all because I said something about him. You treat him better than you do me and I'm your boyfriend…."

"That isn't it! You're blaming him for something that wasn't his fault , and you're making it seem no big deal that I can't train like I used to. Well, let me fill you in on something mister! Just because I can't use my legs, doesn't mean I'm useless or that I can't train! I'm still going to keep training in whatever way I can! So leave your dad out of this!"

The look on Trunk's face when he looked at Pan was something she had never seen in his eyes before….it was a cross between anger and disgust.

"There you go again….Why don't you just screw him already and get it over with."

Pan's eyes went wide at his words, caught somewhere between guilt and being hurt.

"How dare you?"

"Pan I-"

"Get out!"

"Pan, I didn't mean it!"

"GET OUT!" she screamed, throwing the vase of flowers on her side table at him.

Trunks managed to duck out of the room just as the vase slammed into the closed door, shattering the glass everywhere. Pan sighed looking down at all the broken glass, water and wasted flowers and shook her head. What a waste….

Still trembling a little with anger Pan through the covers back scooting down until her legs hung over the edge of the bed, fighting with the growing sense of nausea and the pain that rushed through her. She bit her lip, cutting off the sounds of pain that wanted to slip past her lips. Slowly pan took a deep breath as she looked from her legs to the floor. The doctor had only said there was a chance she might not walk, that didn't mean she couldn't…..it was just a possibility.

Slowly, Pan lowered her legs to the floor and slipped off the bed. She wobbled and waved on unsteady legs for the briefest of moments before pain shot through her body and she sprawled across the cold hard floor of her room with a heavy thump. She lay there for the longest time, feeling water from the broken vase soak into her top as she fought the tears the threatened to spill. This was not happening. This was not happening. This was not happening…It was happening…. She knew the moment she couldn't feel the cold tile floor against her feet that something was wrong.

Tears slipped past her eyes as she slammed her fists into the mess she had caused on the floor, not realizing she had slammed her hands into the mess she made, wincing when the glass cut into her arm. Shaking her head, Pan dragged herself back over to the bed, wincing with each movement. Panting softly Pan laid her head against the bed, something in the window catching her eye. Where was that light coming from?

Carefully, Pan attempted to float, finding that if she was careful of how she moved, she could. She bit her lip as she looked down at her useless legs and wanted to scream in rage at the rest of the world. Floating herself over to the window she stared out. Someone was in the gravitation room. Was it Vegeta? Who else would be out there this late?

Pan shoved at the window pushing it open and shivering against the cold blast of air, carefully slipping out of it. She didn't even notice the blood dripping down her arm from the cut she'd gotten from the vase. It was as if she was in a daze, and the rest of the world didn't seem to exist. She began to doubt it was Vegeta as she got closer. She couldn't feel him, it was as if she was completely cut off from him, and that alone made her feel more lonely and empty than she had in a long time.

Keying in the code to the gravitation room and floated herself in, blinking against the light and found herself face to face with ….

"Vegeta….."

So what did you guys think? I really hope everyone liked the chapter. Please remember to review and be kind! See everyone in the next chapter!


	11. A Sign Of Hope?

Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! You guys are the greatest! I really hope everyone is enjoying the story. I'm trying to update a lot quicker than I have been before . Just a reminder that this fic is rated M for a reason so if you're squeamish please hit the back button now, for everyone else, enjoy!

Vegeta stared at the ruined punching bag on the floor and back to the new one he had hung up in its place. Ever since the doctor had delivered the news of Pan's injury he had locked himself out here, away from everyone else. He had even somehow managed to cut off his connection from Pan. He had caught enough of her feelings to know she was suffering without having to deal with his emotions too. There was also the child to think of…He could sense it….but just barely…...

He wanted to kill the half breed brat he called his son for what he had done to Pan. But he knew that he couldn't, neither Pan nor Bulma would forgive him for that. Vegeta punched the wall in rage, leaving a dent in the wall, his eyes taking in the training room, the last moment before his beautiful Saiyan Princess fell…. He was not one who was usually ruled by emotions, but he had also never known this strange feeling that Pan brought out in him, and mixed in that feeling was a fierce protectiveness and he had failed to keep her safe.

Vegeta looked up as the door to the gravitation room opened, and his eyes widened in surprise, his heart in his throat as he took in the sight of his beloved Pan. Her shirt was soaked, but he didn't know from what and her left arm and hand were a bloody mess. He looked at her, the way she floated, the way her legs hung and he took a deep breath to fight back the rage growing in him.

"Vegeta…."

"Are you daft woman? You should be resting," he growled picking up a towel to wipe himself down.

Pan watched Vegeta, her eyes taking in the sight of him, the way his muscled chest gleamed with sweat, the way he moved, and the way he looked at her. She couldn't read anything in his eyes, or feel him in her mind like she used to. Why couldn't she feel him? Was their connection gone? Did he not feel for her anymore now that she wasn't whole? She blinked back the tears threatening to spill and winced as she floated forward.

"I just wanted to see who was in here….I can't feel you anymore so….I didn't think it was you…Why can't I feel you anymore? Is our connection gone? Am…am I not…." Pan took a deep steadying breath, " I understand….I understand if you don't want me now that I'm not whole….I don't think I could even feel you if we…"

Pan stopped and looked at Vegeta where he stood, her heart sinking lower and lower. He hadn't once tried to hold her, to touch her. Was he that repulsed by her now?

"I'll leave you be…." Pan said, turning and wavering slightly.

She was using too much energy to float when she should have been resting. Vegeta noticed how fast the blood was dripping from her hand and arm and growled.

"What did you do to yourself? Get over here," he growled.

Pan looked at her injured hand then over at Vegeta and shook her head.

"It's nothing. I'll take care of it."

"That wasn't a request brat."

Pan saw the look in his eyes, he looked at her with anger as he looked at her injured arm. Pan tried in that one moment to flee, but she was too weak, and too tired to fight as Vegeta rushed her, catching her in his arms. Pan struggled against him, not wanting him to hold her, to feel the press of his body against hers if it meant she would never feel it again.

"No! Let me go!"

Her words were half a wail that cut Vegeta. He never wanted to hear that tone in her voice directed at him. He hated to see her like this. The proud young saiyan warrior cut down and nearly helpless. No….that wasn't right. Pan would never be helpless.

"Enough little one. I'm not going to hurt you," Vegeta said, as he bit gently on that spot on her neck, where it meets the shoulder.

Pan gasped in surprise with a high pitched whimper before going still in Vegeta's arms. What did that mean? That he still cared? Or was it just to make her calm down? Her mind was baffled by all these thoughts that she just wanted to scream until she was too hoarse to speak.

Vegeta scooped Pan into his arms and carried her over to sit in a chair in the corner.

"You need to bandage that arm," he growled, as he opened the first aide kit on the wall, " What did you do to your arm?"

"I cut it on a piece of the vase I broke," she replied.

"How did you break it?"

Pan squirmed beneath his gaze, wondering if her response would evoke anger.

"I threw it at Trunks…."

Vegeta raised eyes at that.

"What?"

"He was blaming you and making my training seem like it was nothing and then …..he said something about how I should just screw you and get it over with and I got angry and kicked him out of my room. When he wouldn't s leave I threw the vase at him…."

Pan looked up at Vegeta who had started to bandage her wound and was surprised to find him staring at her quite seriously.

"If we hadn't beaten him to it, that remark would have gotten him beaten for speaking to you like that."

"He doesn't know….I didn't tell him…."

"I know you didn't. You don't have anything to worry about. Now come one, you need a shower and to change your shirt."

Pan looked up at Vegeta like he had grown a second head. How the hell did he expect her to take a shower when she couldn't even walk, let alone stand?

"I can't….I can't stand…."

Vegeta grinned that toe curling, predatory grin of his.

"There are alternatives…."

Pan frowned as Vegeta scooped her up into his arms and carried her past the showers to another room in the very back of the training room. To her surprise there was a large bathtub in the center of the room. Pan's eyes widened as Vegeta sat her on the edge of the tub and filled it. She had expected him to just fill the tub and go, but to her surprise Vegeta began to strip. She looked away, not wanting to look upon what once was hers.

"Why so shy little one, you have seen all of me before," Vegeta said, kneeling before her to help her out of her clothes.

"You don't have to do this….I know it's only out of pity….you feel sorry for me so you're still pretending to want me….you don't have to pretend. I understand."

Vegeta's brow knit together as he gazed up at Pan. Did she really not understand? He sighed as he released that so strong block he had kept on all his emotions from the moment Pan had been injured. He let her feel in that connection just how very much he did want her, and always would.

"Don't you see little one? My feelings for you have not changed…" Vegeta said as he placed loving kisses along Pan's thighs. He hope with each kiss that she might feel the brush of his lips, might give him some sign that not all hope was lost for her to walk again.

He kept his gaze on hers as his lips traveled from her knee to thigh, and felt the fine tremble of her body as she looked down at him, her fingers tangling in his hair as he watched her.

Tears began to drip down Pan's cheeks as she watched the proud Saiyan Prince she had fallen so deeply in love with lay kisses on skin that could not feel and felt like she would shatter.

"I can't….I can't feel it….I can't feel any-aaahhh!"

Pan screamed in agony and doubled over with only Vegeta to catch her from falling flat on the tile floor as a piercing almost mind shattering pain erupted through her legs and abdomen. She screamed into Vegeta's shoulder as the feeling of millions of piercing needles being shoved into her skin overwhelmed her, clinging to him like he was the only solid thing in the world…..

So what did you guys think? I really hope everyone liked the new chapter and please review and remember to be kind. See everyone in the next chapter!


	12. Healing Matters

Hey guys just wanted to say sorry for taking so long to post. Life's been crazy. And thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed so far. You guys are the best! So once again, this fic has been rated M for a reason, if you don't like that sort of thing or are squeamish, please hit the back button now. For everyone else, enjoy!

Pan whimpered as tears slipped down her cheeks, trying to relearn how to breathe as the pain stole her voice. She lay in a trembling, sweating heap in Vegeta's arms, the pain slowly subsiding with every breath she took.

"Pan?"

Vegeta gazed down at the young woman in his arms and for the second time in his life, felt utterly helpless. He didn't know how to fight an enemy he couldn't see. He gently lifted her in his arms so he could see her face, and brushed her damp raven locks away from her eyes.

"Pan, sweetheart, say something."

Pan took a slow steadying breath, her vision momentarily blurry as she looked up into the worried eyes of Vegeta. She hated to see that look of helplessness on his face, especially when she knew that she was the one who had put it there.

"I'm okay….I think…just…please…please don't tell the others. I don't want them to know."

"Your secret is safe with me," Vegeta replied, "Besides, I don't know what explanation I would give for having you in my arms this late at night without clothes on."

Pan blushed deep crimson. She'd forgotten in her pain hazed mind that Vegeta wasn't dressed. She didn't exactly feel like explaining that one to anyone. Carefully, she sat up and slowly pulled her wet shirt over her head. She could feel the heat of Vegeta's gaze as his eyes wandered over her naked form almost like it was a physical presence that she could roll around in.

"Still up for that bath?" she asked, hoping she didn't look as nervous as she felt.

"Always," Vegeta chuckled.

Carefully Vegeta scooped her up in his arms and climbed into the large bathtub, lowering them into the warm water. Pan gasped loudly, her body going rigid as if pulled by strings.

"Pan?"

"I'm okay….honest….it's just….I…."

Pan seemed for the first time completely at a loss of words. The moment her foot hit the water she got the strangest sensation of heat rushing through her lower body that only intensified as Vegeta lowered them into the water and settled her into his lap. Her legs no longer felt like needles were stabbing into them but rather had that strange prickling sensation you get when your arm falls asleep. It was painful and not all at the same time. She didn't understand it.

"What is it?"

"I think…I'm not sure but….I'm pretty sure...I can feel…."

Vegeta's eyes widened in shock. He had expected her to say that something hurt but he hadn't been ready for this. How was this even possible? Her spine had been badly injured by the blast. The human doctor had said any recovery would take months. How was she feeling so soon? Maybe….

"I don't understand….I shouldn't be able to feel right? I mean….I'm not complaining but….does this mean I'm healing or….does this mean something worse?" Pan asked, looking at Vegeta, panic in her eyes.

"I think, my Princess, you are experiencing one of the great healing abilities of your Saiyan ancestors. The more powerful the Saiyan, the quicker the healing process. Combine that with our connection and you draw on my healing abilities as well," Vegeta said.

He'd always known that he and Goku as true Saiyans healed at a faster pace than humans, but what was happening to Pan was extraordinary. He hadn't been sure at first, but now he was positive that their connection was healing her, that she was drawing on not only her own strength but on his in order to heal. It was the only logical explanation behind her healing not to mention the tiredness that he seemed to have been feeling today. It also seemed to be stronger when they were together.

"Do you think I'll ever walk again?" she asked, tracing circles in the water.

Pan tried to hide the tremor of fear in her voice. She wanted to believe that she would. She could think of nothing better than to know for sure that she would walk again but there was still that worm of doubt in the back of her mind, telling her that she was only fooling herself into hoping for the impossible. What if she didn't heal all the way? What if she could feel but couldn't walk? What if the feeling left her legs as swiftly as it was returning? So many questions, too few answers.

"Well that depends."

"On what?" she frowned.

"Can you feel this?"

Vegeta slid one hand slowly up and down her leg beneath the warm water, his fingertips a teasing caress along sensitive skin. Pan's breath came quicker as Vegeta brought his hand higher, his fingertips brushing along her inner thigh as he moved his hand higher between her legs. Pan gasped loudly, her back arching ever so slightly,

"I'll take that as a yes?"

"Y-yes…." Came her surprised, breathy reply.

"Then yes, my princess, I believe you will walk again," he chuckled

Pan whimpered softly as Vegeta pulled his hand away. It was another thing she had just a short time ago been thinking that she would never feel again. She never realized how much those small intimate touches meant until she thought she would never feel them again. Just the feel of his hand resting on her leg was precious to her.

"Why- ?"

Vegeta could only chuckle.

"I know you're eager my princess, but not now. You need to recover. If you are healing as fast as I think you are then we don't want to waste energy on something that can wait until you're fully healed."

Pan could only nod. There were a lot of things for her to think about. She didn't want to tell the others just yet. What if this all went away? They would only feel sorry for her and pity her all the more. Poor little Pan, thought she'd walk but can't. She hated it. She hated the whole idea of their pitying looks and whispered conversations. She ran one hand absentmindedly over the flatness of her stomach. And how would she tell Vegeta? What was she going to do? People would figure it out eventually and Trunks would know it wasn't his. She sighed softly, leaning her head on Vegeta's shoulders as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Thinking about the child?"

"Huh? What? How did you know? I mean…"

Pan could feel panic racing through her. How the hell had he known? She hadn't said a word about it. Even the doctor had almost missed it. So how did Vegeta know? He chuckled and gave her a knowing smile.

"You seem to keep forgetting little one, we're connected. And that connection lets me know many things, like the fact that you're carrying my child."

Pan stared wide eyed and couldn't help but feel a little foolish. She should have known that he would use their connection to be checking up on her.

"You're not angry? I thought….I don't know…that you would be upset by it or something."

Vegeta laughed that joyful laugh that only she was allowed to hear and shook his head.

"You seem to be forgetting something important."

"That being?"

"I love you Pan. And as Prince of all Saiyans I am both honored and overjoyed that you are carrying my child."

Pan didn't know what to say, tears slipped down her cheeks and she hugged Vegeta tightly, because it was all she could think to do. Vegeta wrapped his arms around her, taking a moment to just enjoy the feel of her warm and alive in his arms before carefully lifted her out of the water with him.

"Where are we going?"

"We need to get dressed, and then we're going to find out just how much you've healed."

Pan frowned as she dressed. The shirt Vegeta had given her was big through the shoulders and only hit her at mid-thigh but it was better than putting the wet shirt she'd started out in back on. She couldn't stop herself from staring as she watched Vegeta dress. She loved to watch the way his muscles moved as he pulled his clothes on. Her eyes wandered over each visible bit of skin, her mind wandering as she did.

"Enjoying the show little one?"

Pan blushed, and then smiled.

"Oh very much, but I like the view better when you're facing me," she grinned.

Vegeta grinned. At least her injuries hadn't robbed her of that cheeky attitude that he loved so much.

"Maybe next time. But for now, walk towards me."

"What?"

"If you can walk from the tub to where I'm standing, I'll make it worth your while," Vegeta said giving her a smile that melted her to her toes.

"I don't even know if I can stand."

"Try."

Pan growled several inarticulate phrases a few anatomically impossible promises that only earned her a lazy arrogant smile.

"If you can get to me you are more than welcome to try," Vegeta said with a mock bow.

Taking a slow deep breath, Pan braced herself on the edge of the tub, putting one foot, and then the other on the smooth tile floor.

"What if I can't do this?" Pan said, fear filling her.

"That doesn't sound like the woman I love."

"The woman you loved could walk."

"The woman I love never gave up."

Pan could only smile at that. Vegeta was right. She had never in her life let her fears get the best of her, she wasn't about to start now. Carefully, she pushed herself to her feet. Her legs were shaky and unsteady beneath her. She wobbled ever so slight but remained standing. That prickling sensation was still there, but only ever so slightly. She looked up at Vegeta who nodded in approval.

"Now, come to me."

Pan bit her lip and fought back the fear that threatened to steal away this small bit of progress. It was only a small distance between them. Less than two feet, but it may as well have been a gaping chasm that separated them.

_"No damn it! I'm going to do this!"_ she thought.

She slid one foot slowly forward, her arms out at her sides for balance and put weight on it, slowly, testing the strength of her legs. One wavering movement, a wobbling, off balance, almost awkward movement, and she had taken her first step. Vegeta watched that first painful step forward with bated breath. He could sense her fear, her worry. He knew how much was riding on this first careful step.

Pan moved almost achingly slow. One wobbling step after another. She was like a clumsy toddler, learning to walk. She was so close, almost to him. She looked up at Vegeta, her legs trembling beneath her as she moved across the tile floor. So close. Only a few more steps, four more, three. She was so close, when her legs finally gave out from beneath her. Vegeta moved forward just in time to catch before she hit the ground.

"Congratulations my princess, you did it," Vegeta said proudly.

"I didn't make it all the way across."

"You slipped, but you still got to me. You did very well little one. Now come on, you need your rest. The real work begins tomorrow," Vegeta said before placing his lips on hers and giving her a kiss that promised so many things.

That night, as she closed her eyes to sleep, Pan felt something she hadn't felt in a very long time…hope.

Meanwhile, outside in the shadows of the gravitation room, a lone figure stands, fists clenched and rage flashing in its eyes…

So what did you guys think? I hope everyone enjoyed it. Sorry it was kinda short. I promise a longer chapter to come! Please review and be kind! See you all in the next chapter!


	13. We All Fall Down

Hey guys! Back again with the next chapter. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! You guys are the greatest! So again, this fic is rated M for a reason so if that's not your cup of tea please hit the back button now. For everyone else, enjoy!

Pan was awake before the sunrise. She'd made her way to the gravitation room and found that as she had slept, Vegeta had made a few changes. There was equipment for strengthening her legs, and a set of bars that stood apart just far enough for her to brace herself on them while she tried to walk. She could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes. Vegeta had gone to a lot of trouble to make the gravitation room more suited to her needs. And must have taken him all night. She floated over to the bars and lowered herself carefully to the floor. She put a hand on each of the bars, bracing herself for balance and slowly moved her foot forward. She winced as the prickling half asleep feeling filled her legs. She'd spent the night tossing and turning as the pain came and went. At times she found herself curled into a ball, crying in pain, and at others completely passed out. She'd woken up feeling stronger, more confident than she had the night before.

She took another slow deep breath and shuffled forward carefully. She knew the strength was returning to her legs, it would only be a matter of time before she was back to her old self. She spent most of the morning like that. Shuffling herself back and forth along those bars, and that's where she was when Trunks found her. She could feel the tension rolling off him as walked in the room and saw her. And for just a moment his eyes went wide with surprise at the site of her.

"You're walking…"

"Not quite, but it's a start right?"

She tried to be calm, but there was still a sense of something unsettled between them. Things had gone terribly wrong the last time they had spoken and she didn't want to leave things on such a sour note.

"Yeah…I guess."

The silence that hung between them was thick and heavy like something you could cut with a knife. Trunks looked at her like he didn't know her, and it set her on edge as she stood braced on the bars, facing him.

"When were you going to tell me the truth Pan?"

"What are you talking about?"

Fear fluttered in the pit of her stomach as she gazed at him. So many thoughts flashed through her mind. But how could she focus on even one without letting on that there was something for her to hide?

"You really aren't going to tell me are you?" Trunk s said, pacing back and forth, anger evident in his voice.

"Tell you what?"

"That you've been screwing my father!" Trunks shouted throwing an envelope at her, "That you're having his kid!"

Pan caught the folder one handed, leaning heavily on the bars as she pulled open the envelope and pulled out a series of photos. She flipped through them eyes going wide. There were pictures of Vegeta holding her naked in his arms, pictures of them in the tub. She couldn't believe her eyes. Someone had seen them, spied on them, and photographed them.

"Where did you get these?" Pan asked, her hands shaking.

"They were sitting on my dresser this morning with a note. Asking if I knew where my girlfriend was and how I felt about her having my father's baby," Trunks said, his voice shaking.

Pan looked down at the photos again. Who would do something like this? Who would have photographed them and given the pictures to Trunks? She shook her head in disbelief, as if she truly had any moral high ground to stand on. Someone knew their secret. The question was how many people knew about it?

"Did you show these to anyone?"

"Is that all you care about? Tell me this isn't true….," Trunks said gripping her shoulders," Tell me it's a lie. Tell me you aren't pregnant, tell me you aren't cheating on me with him…..or at least….tell me it was a one-time thing, that it isn't what it looks like! You're better than this!"

Pan's eyes filled with tears. She hated to see some much anguish in his eyes, to see the tears slipping down his cheeks.

"Trunks….I'm so sorry….I-"

"No….no….How could you do this to me?" he screamed, shoving her to the ground.

Pan blinked in surprise, her head slamming into the hard floor. What the hell was he doing? She pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked up at him.

"Trunks-"

"No! I don't want to hear anymore!"

Pan screamed as Trunks's foot connected solidly with her stomach knocking the air out of her. She'd never seen Trunks this enraged. She had only a moment to react as he came at her again and she rolled out of the way. Her aim wasn't the best and her head throbbed as she sent a ki blast hurtling towards him. He was stronger than she remembered, or maybe she was weaker because it didn't seem to slow him by much. He was on her before she could blink. Her head hit the floor with a deafening thud and her vision blurred. This was not happening. This was not happening. This was not the Trunks she knew. She cursed herself for being too weak. She wasn't fully recovered just yet and that one ki blast had taken a lot out of her. The best she could do was fend off his punches as she tried to keep her most vulnerable spots hidden.

"How could you?" he screamed," I thought you were better than this! You're nothing but a whore!"

One moment Trunks was hitting her, the next her was pulling at her clothes and terror raced through her. No. He wouldn't. He couldn't. Pan tried to pull herself with her arms and her weak legs over the hard floor but Trunks pulled her back. She looked back and felt utterly helpless. Her mind registered things in bits and pieces. Blood on the floor, her blood, Trunks hitting her, the sickening sound of her clothing tearing as she opened her mind to the one person she knew would hear and gave one terror filled shriek for help.

_"VEGETA!"_

Vegeta bolted upright in bed, Pan's terror filled shriek still ringing in his mind. What the hell was happening to her? The link was weak but he could sense her nearby. He dressed quickly and raced from the house, following that whisper thin link to the gravitation room. His warrior senses were already on edge as he literally pulled the door off and raced inside. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. Pan lay on the floor, a bruised, bloody mess. Her clothing ripped as Trunks hovered over her, his eyes glazed with an icy rage.

"Get off her right now brat."

Vegeta's voice was a deep rolling thunder, each word carefully said through clenched teeth as he tried to keep himself from killing his own half breed brat.

"I don't have to do a damn thing."

"Get off her now, or face me."

"Gladly."

Trunks spared a look at Pan, a smug smile on his face as he kicked her once more in the side.

"We'll finish this later."

Vegeta howled angrily and charged at Trunks, pinning him to the wall.

"You'll finish nothing!"

Pan cringed as she pulled herself slowly across the room, keeping as low as she could. She didn't want to be used as a shield in their fight, or as an easy target. Everything hurt. Her vision was blurred by blood and tears and it felt like her skull was trying to rearrange itself inside her head. But every fiber in her body was screaming at her to run. And run she would. The moment she was outside the gravitation room she took to the air, using what little strength she had.

"That's right little Panda, fly away. Fly away and don't come back."

Pan whirled at the sound of a familiar voice and had to fight the growing nausea before opening her eyes.

"Bulma?"

And then it hit her. She knew where Trunks had gotten the pictures, who the mysterious photographer had been that left the note and photographs for him to find and had only one question.

"Why?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

The two women stared at each other for a space of heart beats, but all that either of them could offer the other, was silence. Pan cringed as she turned and hurtled skyward. Tears blinded her as she stumbled and wavered. This was all her fault. She had destroyed Bulma's marriage, ruined her own relationship, put father against son, and hurt everyone. But no matter how horrible she felt, it didn't change the fact that she loved Vegeta. And if she had the chance to do it all over again, she wouldn't have changed a thing. For the first time since her parents had died, for a brief time, she had been truly happy, and that meant more to hear than anything in the world.

Trees and rivers flowed past her in a blur and not from her speed. Everything was coming in small glimpses. One moment she was flying, blocking her connection from Vegeta as she watched the world pass below her, and the next there was darkness. She was slowly losing consciousness as she used the last of her strength to fly somewhere safe. She was almost to her destination. Only a little further and she would be there, when she was suddenly blinded by a crippling pain in her abdomen. She screamed in agony, doubling over, losing her concentration. One moment she was flying, and the next, she was hurtling towards the ground as her world faded to black.

So what did you guys think? I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll post another soon. Please review and remember to be kind! See you all in the next chapter!


	14. Hideaway

Hey everyone! Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! You guys are the best! Hope you all enjoy the next chapter! Again this fic is rated M for a reason so if that's not your cup of tea please hit the back button now, for everyone else, enjoy!

The sun was already setting by the time Pan woke up. She blinked past the blinding pain that filled her body as she lifted her cheek from the river bank and looked around. She was still waist deep in the river, but at least she was alive. Slowly she pulled herself from the cold water and crawled onto the soft grass. Somehow the river had carried her to her destination as she looked at the large, two story cabin in front of her. Her parents used to come here when they were younger and a few times as a child they had brought her here. It was their secret get away. No one would find her here, which was good since she didn't want to be found. She was just glad that she remembered where it was. She slowly pushed herself to her feet in a movement that was both painful and took her breath for a moment. Her legs were weak and shaky beneath her but she managed to make it to the door.

"Now where was that key…?"

Pan bent down and fumbled in the rocks behind the bushes by the front door until she found the one she was looking for. It was hollowed out and the bottom slid open revealing the front door key.

"Jackpot!"

With shaking hands, she opened the door and for just a moment felt like she was stepping back in time. Everything was just the way she remembered it, though just a little dusty from lack of use. She flicked the light switch on the wall and was relieved when the lights came on. The cabin had its own generator and water and gas supply. There was a lot of cleaning up to do, but that could wait until she was dry, warm and bandaged. She was pretty sure she had a couple broken ribs, and a concussion, so she would have to be sure to keep herself awake. She made her way up the stairs, clinging to the banister for support. She shuffled down the hallway until she reached the room that once belonged to her parents. She thought that being here, in this room might bring her heartache, but instead it brought her peace. She could almost still feel them here, watching over her.

Pan shuffled over to the dresser, pulling out some of her mothers' old clothes. She found a long t-shirt and shorts that would fit and headed for the shower. She didn't bother to look at herself in the mirror as she passed it. She didn't want to see the damage until she'd had a chance to clean up. Like it would make seem less bad if she could get the blood off. Standing beneath the hot spray of the shower Pan let herself pretend that it was just water droplets slipping down her cheeks and not tears. When she was thoroughly warmed by the shower she finally dried off and went to stand in front of the mirror.

She let herself take in the nightmare that her body was. Her lower lip was split and bleeding again. Her right eye was partially swollen shut. A large bruise decorated her left cheek. There were smaller bruises on her neck and arms. But her middle had gotten the worst of it. Her ribs and stomach were a mass of dark bruises and cuts. There were smaller bruises on her legs but those seemed more like they had come from her ride down river. She tried not to cry as she stared at all the damage Trunks had inflicted. Reaching for the first aid kit she carefully dressed her wounds. There was even a gash in her right palm that she didn't remember getting. There was still so much for her to do. So much for her to clean up in order to make this place livable again, but she was so tired. She wanted nothing more than to curl up under the covers of the queen size bed and sleep.

She was just about to fall asleep when she was she was woken by a sound from downstairs. The sound of footsteps. Someone was coming up the stairs. Panic flared through her. She quickly slipped out of the bed, readjusting the blankets to look like no one had been in it and went for the closet. She curled herself up behind a large box and quietly shut the door. Light shone in threw the small slats in the door. Pan waited, holding her breath, trying to hear past her pulse thundering in her ears as the steps grew closer, louder. She heard someone stop outside the bedroom and the doorknob slowly began to turn. She covered her mouth, trying not to make a sound as someone entered the room. She watched as whoever it was drew closer and tried not to gasp when she found herself gazing at Vegeta.

How had he found this place? Why was he here? Had he followed her? Was he looking for her? None of that mattered. She couldn't go back. Not now. Their secret was out. Everyone would know by now and she couldn't stand to face her grandparents. The shame and disappointment in their eyes would be more than she could take. And she could never face Trunks or Bulma ever again. Did Vegeta know that it was Bulma who had seen them and spilled their secret? Did it matter? She stayed there, huddled in the cool dark of that closet as silent tears slipped down her cheeks. She wanted to run to Vegeta, to feel the warmth of his arms around her. But she just couldn't do. Stubborn Saiyan pride and her own shame refused to let her do what she wanted most. It was several hours later when she finally dragged herself from the closet, sure that Vegeta had finally left. He had gone through every room in the house looking for her and thanks to Pan lowering her ki, and blocking their connection, he gave up and left.

_"I'm sorry Vegeta….forgive me." _she thought.

Vegeta flew further north, searching almost frantically as he went. He'd followed the trail of Pan's blood, the scent of it so strong it was hard to miss. But somewhere along the line, the trail went fold. He'd followed the line of the river, praying that he wouldn't find her broken body among the rocks. But there had been no sign of her. The moment he'd spotted that cabin, he'd felt hope spring to life within him. The door had been open, he'd taken it as a good sign. But as he searched each room and found them all empty, the hope he'd once felt began to sink. And by the time he left, for the first time in his long life, he felt utterly defeated. Somewhere out there was the woman he loved, and he hoped, she still carried their child. He couldn't seem to get the image of her beaten and bloody out of his mind. And when Trunks had kicked her that last time he'd gone into pure rage. He'd given Trunks the beating of a life time. The brat would live, but he had several broken bones and it would take several months before he fully recovered.

And Bulma, she'd been almost gleeful about Pan's fleeing. The bitch. He knew she was behind this. Trunks hadn't needed to tell him. He knew the moment he saw the self-satisfied smile on her face that this mess had been her doing. He remembered the panic in her eyes as he'd grabbed her by the throat and shoved her against the wall. He'd made it very clear to her, that if Pan died, she was next. It was true he felt some guilt over his part in all of this, in his hurting his wife and children. But it was also true that he had never in all these years felt for Bulma, what he felt with Pan. And it had nothing to do with age or physical appearance. Pan called out to him, made his blood sing. It was as if she had been born to be his. It was something he could never quite put into words. They were a mated pair. They were always meant to be together. Now if only he could find her and bring her home. The sun was getting lower on the horizon. He was losing daylight. Soon he would have to go home and start fresh in the morning. But he couldn't imaging going home without her and knowing that she was out there somewhere, pregnant and alone. And that more than anything terrified the prince of Saiyans.

Goku was waiting for him when he returned and for a moment, he truly felt as though he couldn't look him in the eye. No matter how they had started out, deep down he counted Goku as his friend, and he knew that he had broken something between them. Something he might not be able to repair.

"Kakkorot."

"You didn't find her?"

"No."

The two Saiyan warriors stared at each other for what seemed like a life time but was only a span of a few heartbeats.

"I wish I could say I hate you for this Vegeta, but the truth is we're friends, and I know you love Pan. I saw what you did to Trunks just to protect her. That kind of rage doesn't come from anything but love. I actually wanted to do the same thing to you when I found out. "

"But?"

"But I can't. You love Pan, I've accepted that. And she loves you. And no matter what's happened, the only thing I care about right now is bringing her home."

"But you still want to fight about it?"

"It won't be much of a fight since I'll win. But yeah. When she comes home, we'll fight."

"Deal."

That was the last the two men spoke of it. Tomorrow Vegeta would start fresh and begin his search again. And if he was lucky, he would find her. But as it was, Pan didn't want to be found. Days to turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and Vegeta's hope began to waver. He'd searched for her every day since she'd gone missing and there had still been no sign of her. The baby was due soon, it made him more frantic than ever to find her.

Pan had spent those quiet weeks and months turning the cabin into a real home for herself and for her child that was on the way. As it turned out, she had a neighbor not too far away. An older woman named Kae, who as luck would have it was a doctor. She was kind and enjoyed Pan's company came often to check up on her and bring her groceries. And now that Pan was so close to the arrival of her child, she stopped by every couple days to see how she was doing.

Pan had done her best to get the house ready. After that beating she'd taken from Trunks she hadn't even been sure the baby had survived. She'd been more than lucky that Kae was a doctor. She'd figured from the start that Pan was on the run, hiding out from someone, and had assured her that her pregnancy had not ended. Pan had cried tears of joy. The doctor never asked about her past or where she was from and Pan never offered. It was nice being around someone who wouldn't pry or push or tell her to go home. It was also nice to have some company. The cabin was great but it could be lonely living here on her own. It was the only place she really felt safe. She could have gone to Master Roshi's house, but that old man was such a pervert she didn't really want to live with him and his constant peeping. Not when she had so much going on. Besides, Roshi would have ratted her out to her grandfather and the others, and they would have tried to drag her back. And that was something she didn't want. The cabin was truly perfect for anyone who didn't want to be found.

Pan had spent the early part of her day outside in the back yard, enjoying the garden she'd planted and the warm breeze. The scent of fresh herbs filtered through the air. She'd begun growing a lot of her own food. She wanted to limit the amount of groceries Kae would have to bring her and she also shared the fresh fruits and vegetables with the older woman. It was an exchange that worked for them.

Pain winced as a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She'd never felt anything like it. Carefully she got up and went inside. She'd just gotten in the door when that pain came again, sharper this time. She knew without a doubt that the baby was coming. Pan cried out as she leaned against the door for support, tears stinging at her eyes. The pain came again, stealing the air from her lungs as she slid to the floor. She'd left her phone that the doctor had given her in the other room. She had to get to it. But the sharp pains kept going. She had to half crawl, half slide her way across the cool kitchen floor. She grabbed hold of the kitchen counter and pulled herself to her feet. She needed to reach the phone. She couldn't do this alone. She needed help.

Pan stumbled forward as another pain shook her body, causing her to knock a glass off the counter. She slid to the floor, cutting her arm and hands on the glass as she crawled through the kitchen door and into the living. She wasn't sure how she managed to get to the phone. Her hands trembled as she dialed the number for Kae's cell.

"Kae?"

"Pan what's the matter?"

"It's the baby. The baby's coming now."

"Just try to keep calm Pan. I'm on my way."

Pan tried to keep breathing, tried to relax but couldn't. Everything seemed to be happening so fast and the pain was only getting worse. She lay on the couch crossing her fingers that the doctor would arrive in time. Panic and fear was slowly beginning to set in. She was terrified and didn't know what to do. If Kae didn't arrive soon she would have to deliver the baby herself. And that scared her more than anything in the world. Another sharp pain, this one so strong it bowed her back, and she couldn't stop the tears that accompanied her cry of pain. And at that one terror filled moment, for the first time in nine very long months, she lost her concentration on the walls in her mind that kept their connection blocked and called out before slamming them shut once more.

"VEGETA!"

Alone in the gravitation room, Vegeta hit the punching bag again. He'd gone on his search for her as usual, but there had been nothing, and he was starting to believe that Pan was well and truly gone when he heard voice like the ringing of bells in his mind.

"PAN!"

So what did you guys think? I really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please review and remember to be kind. See everyone soon in the next chapter!


	15. Just in Time

Hey guys sorry it took me so long to post another chapter. Things got crazy here, but here we are with the next chapter. Thank you again to everyone has read and reviewed. You guys are the greatest! So once again, this fic has been rated M for a reason. So if that's not your cup of tea please hit the back button now. For everyone else, ENJOY!

Vegeta stumbled, gripping the punching bag for support as Pan's pain filled cry ripped through his mind. That one cry, his name, was filled with so much pain. She was alive! But for how long? He shoved those thoughts aside and raced out of the gravitation room, clinging to the whisper thin sound of her voice, trying to follow the direction it had come from. He was so concentrated on her voice, that he didn't notice Goku until he smacked right into him.

"Hey, where's the fire Vegeta?"

"Out of my way Kakkorot. She's alive."

"What? Pan? Where is she?"

"I don't know. But I heard her. I have to find her."

"You heard her?"

"Yes. And she needs me. I'm going after her."

"Wait, I'll come with you."

"No. You'll only slow me down."

Before Goku had time to protest, Vegeta was air borne, racing through the skies like a meteor. He knew she was alive, and that she needed him. He just needed to find her before it was too late. His pulse hammered frantically through his veins as he raced through the sky. There was a strange, panicked feeling pulsing through his veins, and he knew what he was feeling at that moment wasn't his own feelings. They were Pan's. She needed him. But where was she? He had searched for her for months, and not once had she contacted him, not once had he been able to find even the smallest trace of her presence.

Pan Screamed again as pain raced through her. Tears slipped down her cheeks. Blood poured down her hand and arm where she'd cut it on the broken glass in the kitchen. She had cut it deeper than she realized. She was starting to feel light headed. Everything was happening so fast and she was scared, and alone. What was going to happen to her? To her baby? So many questions without answers. She heard the sound of running footsteps and turned her head just as Kae burst through the front door. A sense of relief washed through her when she saw the old woman. At least she wouldn't have to do this alone. It was a small consolation despite the fact that the one person she wanted there more than anything couldn't be with her.

Vegeta clung almost desperately to the quickly fading trail of Pan's mental cry. He was close. He knew she wasn't far away but her trail was faint, almost as if her strength were fading. And he tried not to think of that possibility. He looked down at the ground below and found himself in a place he recognized. He spotted the familiar cabin almost immediately. He'd been here once before when Pan first disappeared and had found the place completely deserted. Now the place looked like it was anything but abandoned. There was even a car parked in the front drive. He landed in front of the cabin and looked around. The feeling was strong here, her scent was here too. Pan had to be somewhere nearby. He could almost feel her presence, as if she were standing right next to him.

"Where are you Pan? I know you're close."

That's when he heard it. A long, pain filled cry and the sound of a baby crying.

"Pan?!"

Vegeta ran towards the house and threw open the door. An old woman he didn't know knelt on the end of the couch, holding a small crying bundle in her arms. Pan lay pale and too still on the couch, a blanket covering her from the waist down. Vegeta felt like his heart might stop in his chest.

"Pan…!"

He rushed to her side, panic and fear like he had never experienced in his long life, filling him. He couldn't be too late. Please don't let him be too late.

"I can only assume you're the father," the old woman said.

Vegeta spared the old woman another look, then turned back to Pan.

"Is she…?"

He couldn't finish the sentence. The thought was too unbearable to put into words. He didn't even want to think it. Couldn't think it, or his world might come crashing down around him.

"She's fading fast, but I think I can save her," Kae said as she passed the small squirming bundle into Vegeta's arms, "Say hello to your daughter, while I try to save her mother."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She cut herself before I got here and lost a lot of blood. Now keep quiet and let me work."

Vegeta turned his attention away from the old woman and stared down at the child in his arms and for the first time, in a long time, he was completely and utterly speechless. The feeling that overcame him as he gazed down at his daughter was so different than what he had felt when Trunks and Bra were born. He'd been proud at their births, but this, was something entirely different and almost overwhelming. Even for the Prince of Saiyans. The small creature in his arms, his child, his beautiful daughter, had stolen his heart. She looked so much like Pan, but he could see himself in the child as well. There would never be any doubt that this child was his. And for maybe the third time in his life, Vegeta felt real tears sting at his eyes.

"Hello little Princess," he whispered gruffly.

Vegeta paced slowly back and forth in the living room, his heart tight with fear and worry as he watched Kae work on Pan. He couldn't lose her. Not now. Not when he had only just found her again. He refused to let the woman he loved slip away. He let his mind slip, feeling along the line of their connection. The walls that had blocked them for all these months were no longer in place. He could feel her. Just barely, but she was there, clinging on to life by a mere thread.

"_Pan….Pan…I know you're there. Don't go sweetheart..._"

"_Vegeta?_"

"_I'm here my love._"

"_Vegeta I'm sorry….I'm so sorry…_"

"_Shh….There will be time for apologies later little one. But for now you just have to come back to me…to us._"

"_Us?_"

"_Yes, us. To me, and our beautiful daughter….She's waiting to see her mother….come back to us Pan. Come back…_"

Vegeta could feel it before Kae even spoke. Her presence was stronger, her spirit, her strength was returning, growing stronger.

"She's going to be alright. Her pulse is stronger, steady. She just needs to rest."

Vegeta smiled and looked down at his daughter, who looked up at him with her mother's eyes. It was all going to be okay. Pan would live, and they were going to be happy, because he wasn't going to lose either of them ever again. He would do whatever it takes to make sure of that.

When Pan awoke, she had to rub her eyes just to be sure she wasn't dreaming. Everything hurt. There was a bandage wrapped around her right arm from hand to elbow. She vaguely remembered cutting it on some glass in the kitchen. Someone had laid her in bed so that she was propped up by several pillows, and Vegeta stood near the large window that over looked the front yard. The sunlight that filtered through the window surrounded him and gave him an almost ethereal glow. She didn't know what to say. She thought she had only dreamed his presence, the sound of his voice. But he was here. He was real. And when he turned and looked at her, with their child in his arms, the smile on his face filled her with joy and hope.

"Hello sweet heart."

"Vegeta…."

So what did you guys think? Sorry this one was kind of short. But there's a longer one coming, I promise! Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please review and remember to be kind! I'll see you all in the next (longer) chapter!


	16. Uninvited Guest

Hey guys, here we are with the next chapter. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed so far. You guys really are the greatest! And as promised this chapter will be longer than the last! So just another reminder, this fic is rated M for a reason, so if that's not your thing, hit the back button now, for everyone else, enjoy!

The sound of his name on her lips was something Vegeta thought he would never hear again in those long months that they were apart. He hadn't realized until that moment just how much he'd missed the sound of her voice. For a long time he had fooled himself into believing that the reason he hadn't realized, or admitted it was because he'd so strongly believed that he was going to find her, but he knew now that that wasn't it. He'd never acknowledged it, because he was afraid that if he did, it would be like admitting that she was gone for good. And that wasn't something he was ever willing to believe for even the briefest moment. In all those months he'd had to keep believing that she was alive, and that he would find her. He'd had to, or he would go mad.

Vegeta sat down on the edge of the bed, their daughter in his arms and couldn't seem to wipe the smile from his face.

"She looks like you," he said, in a hushed tone.

"She looks like you too," Pan said, gently brushing her finger over the tiny closed fist of her daughter's hand, "I'm glad you're here."

The smile she gave him was weak and watery as she tried to fight back tears. There was so much for her to apologize for, and she didn't even know where to begin. Vegeta gently laid their daughter in the basinet beside the bed and took Pan's hand in his. The heavy silence between them was almost too much.

"I looked for you…every day since you've been gone I've looked for you," Vegeta started, " I came here that first night. I searched everywhere, and you weren't here."

"I know….I Know Vegeta. I'm so sorry….I'm sorry…..I was here when you came….I hid in the closet…I didn't want you to know I was here…I couldn't…."

A sense of anger and betrayal started to boil within him, but Vegeta quickly squashed it down. He reminded himself that there had to have been a reason, there had to have been something to keep her from showing herself. From contacting him.

"Why?" Vegeta asked softly, "Why did you hide from me little one? Why didn't you contact me? Do you know how worried I was? How terrified?"

Vegeta bit back on his anger. He hadn't meant to raise his voice at her. But he had been more scared for her safety then he cared to ever admit.

"Because I couldn't keep hurting you! This whole thing is my fault! I ruined everything! I hurt Trunks, Bulma, my grandparents, you! I hurt everyone. I love you and I all I managed to do was ruin things!" Pan said, as the tears that threatened to spill over, final slid down her cheeks.

"The only thing that hurt me, was thinking that you and our child could be dead. I love you Pan. You and our child. That is all that matters to me."

"But-"

"But nothing. You have no idea what you mean to me. But you will."

"What about Trunks? And Bulma?"

"Trunks won't be any trouble. He also won't walking any time soon."

"What?"

For a moment, fear fluttered in the pit of Pan's stomach. What had happened to Trunks while she was gone?

"I taught him to never again touch what is mine," Vegeta smiled.

Pan didn't know what to say or how to react to that news. A part of her felt badly for Trunks, but another part of her was proud that Vegeta had defended her.

"And Bulma?"

The fact that Pan had mentioned Bulma in the first place, told him that she knew that Bulma had been the one to spill their secret to Trunks. He'd wanted to kill Bulma for what she'd done, but his guilt, and the fact that she was the mother of his first two children was the only thing that saved her. But he had made it clear that they were over. He'd divorced her shortly after pan's disappearance, and Bulma had moved out of their home, and gone to live with Yamcha. He hadn't been surprised by this. He'd always known there were feelings between them, and he wished her the best, but he would never forgive her for the damage she had done or for the time she had cost him with Pan.

"I divorced Bulma. She's moved in with Yamcha. I made it clear to her on the night you disappeared that if you died….she would be next. She cost me so much time with you…I almost missed the birth of our child...I almost lost you."

Pan traced her fingers over the back of Vegeta's hand. There were so many things she wanted to say but none of them seemed adequate for what they'd been through. But then something occurred to her as she looked up him.

"Vegeta…does anyone else know where we are? Did you tell anyone I'm here?"

Her heart hammered in her chest at the thought of someone coming here. She wasn't ready to face her grandparents, or Trunks. She was terrified of what would happen if any of them found out where she was.

"You don't have to worry sweetheart. No one knows where we are. But I did tell your grandfather that you're alive. I had to tell him."

"He doesn't know I'm here though?"

"No. I told him he couldn't come with me. Just that you were alive, and I was going to find you"

"Thank you…for not telling him…I'm just so sorry Vegeta….I don't know what else to say."

"Say that you'll let me stay."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Pan replied.

One moment she was holding Vegeta's hand in hers, and the next, she was in his arms. Before she realized it, she was crying, and clinging to him like he was the last solid thing on the Earth. She'd missed him so much when they were apart, and finally, after all this time, she felt like she was whole. The feel of his arms around her, felt like home.

Vegeta ran his fingers through her soft raven locks, taking in the scent of her. He'd missed Pan more than he ever cared to acknowledge. All he knew was that she belonged in his arms. He would be damned if he ever let anything or anyone change that.

"Why don't I let you get some sleep now? Kae said you need to rest as much as possible. I'll be back to check on you."

"You're leaving?" Pan asked.

"I need to get some clothes and something for our daughter. Kae will be downstairs if you need her. I'm coming back Pan. I promise. Nothing is keeping us apart ever again."

Pan nodded as she settled back against the pillows with a yawn, one hand on her daughter's much tinier one. A silent reassurance that this was all real, and that she wasn't dreaming.

"Maybe you'll come up with a name for her while I'm away," Vegeta said as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips, and another on his daughter's forehead.

He hated to leave them alone for even for a moment, but they would need more supplies if they were going to stay here. And he needed to let Kakkorot know that his granddaughter and great grandchild were both healthy and alive. He owed it to him to let him know how she was. Vegeta stayed until Pan fell asleep before slipping quietly out the door. He nodded to Kae in silent acknowledgement. He knew the old woman would keep a watchful eye on Pan and his child while he was gone. She wasn't a Saiyan, but she had spirit, and he liked that about her.

Vegeta took to the air with a feeling of true happiness, and an almost peaceful calm. The last time he had been this happy was when they had become a mated pair. He'd thought nothing would make him happier, than knowing that she was his, but he was wrong. Pan had always been meant to be his. Goku was waiting for him when he landed outside the gravitation room. It looked like he hadn't moved from the spot all day.

"Have you been there since I left?" Vegeta asked.

"Yes. Where is she? Did you find her?" Goku asked.

The quiet, almost desperate hopefulness in his voice was almost too much.

"I found her. She's alive. And the baby is too."

"The baby….I'm a great grandpa," Goku said, stumbling back against the outter wall of the gravitation room, " If they're okay then where are they? Why aren't they with you?"

"I can't tell you where they are kakkorot. I promised Pan I wouldn't tell you."

"But I'm her grandpa!"

"She's not ready to see you yet. And she's definitely not ready to see hurricane Chichi. But she's alive, and she's safe, and the baby is healthy."

Goku nodded, trying not to look as disappointed as he felt. He may be a Saiyan warrior, but he was also a loving grandfather. It didn't sit well with him that Pan didn't feel like she could face him, but he had to respect her privacy.

"Will you take her a letter for me?" Goku asked quietly.

"Write it, and I'll deliver it," Vegeta said, patting his friend on the back, "I have to pack a few things and then I'm going back. Have your letter ready before I leave. You have two hours."

Vegeta started for the house when Goku's voice drew him back.

"Hey Vegeta?"

"What is it?"

"Congratulations."

A small smile crossed Vegeta's face.

"Thank you."

That one simple phrase held so much more meaning than either could ever say out loud. There were many things Vegeta had to be grateful to Kakkorot for. But he was too proud to ever say any of it out loud. It just wasn't in his nature. The only person he could ever truly show any real emotion with, was Pan. And now that he knew she was alive, he could breathe a sigh of relief. He just had to be quick with his packing and gathering supplies. He didn't want to be away from the young Saiyan woman he loved, and their child.

Trunks had waited quietly for Vegeta to leave. He'd seen him taking off in a hurry early this morning. There was only one thing that could light that kind of fire under his step. Pan. He'd kept himself as hidden as possible. He knew his father would be scanning the ground below and wouldn't once think of looking up. He was still injured and not at full strength, and with Vegeta so preoccupied with finding Pan, he hadn't noticed his son's presence. He couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy and hurt when he heard the first soft cries of Pan's child. He'd always thought that someday it would be him, who had a child with Pan. But things don't always work out the way you plan. He'd stayed hidden in the trees while Vegeta was inside. For a while, he hadn't been sure that Vegeta had any intention of leaving and Trunks had been ready to give up and do home. But at long last his patience paid off and Vegeta took to the sky. The only one had to worry about was the old woman.

Trunks circled the cabin slowly until he came to a window he was sure he could get through, As quietly as possible, Trunks put all his weight against the window and gave it a gentle shove. It took him three tries, but he finally got the window open and slipped inside. The room he was in had been a bedroom before it was converted to storage. He moved carefully through the stacked up boxes and old furniture stacked around the room, which wasn't easy with one leg in a splint and his arm in a sling. He slipped from the room and crept towards the banister. The old woman was headed into the kitchen. It would buy him some time before she came to check on Pan again. He padded quietly down the hall, peaking in each room as he went, until he found the one he was looking for.

He slipped quietly into the room, trying to keep the door from making the slightest noise. Pan lay on her side in the bed, one hand draped over the edge of a pale yellow basinet. Trunks couldn't help but smile. It was a touching sight to behold. Her long, dark hair hung loose, spread across the pillow in a dark wave. He moved closer, not wanting to wake sleeping mother and child, when Pan stirred in her sleep.

"Vegeta? Is that you?" Pan yawned, as she sat up in bed.

"No, Pan. It's me. Trunks."

So what did you guys think? I really hope that everyone enjoyed the chapter. Please review, and remember to be kind! I've already got the next chapter started and can't wait to post it! See you all in the next chapter!


	17. Out of Time

Hey everyone. Sorry it's taken me so long to post a new chapter. Things have been crazy but here we are, back with a new chapter. Just a reminder, this fic is rated M for a reason so if that's not your cup of tea, please hit the back button now. For everyone else enjoy!

Pan scrambled back against the headboard of her bed, reaching instinctively for her child, still sound asleep in the bassinet. Her eyes searched the room and saw no sign of Vegeta's return and found the room just as it was when he'd left. There was no way he would have known Trunks was here. He would never let him near her after he almost beat her to death. Panic raced through her. She wasn't at her full strength but she would do whatever it took to keep Trunks from hurting her child. Vegeta would be back soon, all she had to do was buy herself some time.

"What are you doing here Trunks?"

Her voice only slightly wavered as she spoke. Maybe she could make a run for it, take her child and flee out the window.

"I came to see you."

That one sentence, so simple but there was more to it than it implied. There was a darkness that filled those five simple words. Pan slipped carefully out of the bed, blocking Trunks view of the baby, not wanting him to get close to her child. A leering smile crossed his face.

"I didn't come here for your baby, Pan. I came for you."

"You said you came to see me, you've seen me. Now leave. "

Trunks took a slow, menacing step forward, moving closer to Pan. They both knew that in this small a space, there was nowhere for her to really go. Nowhere she would be safe from him in the confines of this tiny room. He was too close to her now, and she couldn't let him get close to her daughter. The look in his eyes was all the warning she needed. Something had snapped inside him, he was more dangerous than he let on.

Before she could blink he was on her, his hands locked around her wrists as he pulled her away from the bassinet and flung her back onto the bed, rage like she had never before seen, rolling off of him in waves.

"Trunks, what the hell are you doing?" she yelled, rising up on the bed.

"Oh no, you aren't getting away from me. Not again," Trunks growled as he shoved Pan back against the mattress, kneeling over her, straddling her.

Pan's heart was in her throat. Rage had transformed the kind and loving Trunks she had once known into something terrifying and deadly. She tried to keep herself calm, to not give in to her fear and think clearly, but it was hard to do when she felt Trunks hands, sliding beneath the loose fabric of her knee length t-shirt. The feel of his hand on her body made her skin crawl. She didn't want him to touch her. She didn't want him anywhere near her. She tried to sit up again, but Trunks pinned her beneath him, his larger hand locking both her wrists to the bed.

"You were mine first. You were always supposed to be mine."

"No, Trunks, I wasn't…. I was never supposed to be yours don't you see that? I care about you Trunks, but I don't love you the way I love Vegeta!"

"Shut up!" Trunks shrieked as he backhanded Pan hard across the face, "Don't say his name. He stole you from me, and he is going to pay."

"Trunks, please….you can't do this….it isn't like you!"

Trunks eyes burned a deep, scorching red as he gazed down at his former girlfriend and something passed behind his eyes, as if at war with himself. This wasn't like him. He wasn't a violent person by nature, even with his Saiyan instincts, he still was more his mother's son, more gentle, more loving. How could he have become something so twisted?

Pan could hear the soft gasping of her breath as it passed from her lungs. She was too weak to fight, too weak to do much but try and get through to him.

"Trunks…please….please let me go…."

"Shut up! Just shut up! This is your fault as much as it is his! You both did this! You both need to pay!" Trunks growled, "You're going to be mine again Pan. He won't want you once I've had you. He'll turn you away and you can be mine again."

"Trunks please….it won't work that way….he'll kill you if you hurt me."

"You put too much faith in my father Pan. He doesn't love you. Not the way I love you."

Pan struggled beneath the almost crushing strength in Trunks's grip on wrists. She had to get free of him. If she didn't, there was no guarantee she would survive his wrath. Trunks grinned down at her as she struggled, knowing full well she couldn't get away from him. She was his until he chose to let her go, and that was something he had no intention of doing. Not now, not ever. He would see Vegeta dead long before he ever let her go.

Trunk's free hand slid slowly up and down Pan's side, a ball of terror that made her almost physically ill building in the pit of her stomach. It would serve him right if she vomited on him. Trunks traced strange patterns across her stomach, murmuring softly to himself about the softness of her skin beneath his hand. His hand slid upward caressing over Pan's ribs and brushing gently against the underside of her breast. Pan bit her lip to keep from screaming as tears pricked at her eyes. She was almost certain she was going to be violently ill. Her mind raced. She had to reach Vegeta without Trunks noticing. Though she wasn't really sure she cared if he noticed. Maybe it would distract him just enough to make him stop. If he thought Vegeta was on his way, maybe he would leave her alone and run. Maybe. It was such a risk, because it might just do the opposite. She glared up at him angrily as his hand slid back down, edging alone her hip. Panic and revulsion raced through her. She had no other option. She gathered what strength she could and sent out a single call, just as Trunk's slid his hand downward to goal.

"_VEGETA!"_

Vegeta staggered against the dresser, gripping onto it for dear life as Pan's agonized cry filled his mind, nearly shredding it. He could feel her panic and despair as he tried desperately to reach her, already slinging his bag over his shoulder. He'd just finished packing when her cry came hurtling into his mind. It had caught him off guard as he raced from the room, moving down the stairs with lightning speed.

"_Pan? Pan what's happening sweet heart?"_

Vegeta anxiously listened for her reply. When it came, it was weak, and pain filled.

"_Trunks…here…danger….."_

The words were so widely spread apart and he knew she was too weak to keep going. Holding the link between them was draining her strength. But it was alright, he had enough strength for them both and right now he rode the killing edge, his strength at a dangerous level as he stormed from the house, immediately taking to the air. It took only a moment to realize that he wasn't alone. He looked to his left to see Goku keeping pace with him.

"What's going on Vegeta? I didn't even get to give you my letter."

"Trunks found Pan."

Those words were all Goku needed to hear as a grim determination crossed his face.

"Lead the way."

Vegeta grinned despite the dire situation at hand.

"I was hoping you would say that."

Okay, I know it was short, but what did you guys think? Please review and remember to be kind! See you all in the next chapter!


	18. Nightmare's End

Hey everyone, SO sorry it's taken so long for me to write another chapter. My computer died on me and it took awhile to save enough money to get a new one. So anyways, thank you again to everyone who has reviewed so far. You guys are the absolute best! Just remember this fic is rated M for a reason, so if that's not your cup of tea turn back now. For everyone else, enjoy!

There are no words accurate enough to describe the speed, the urgency with which Vegeta flew as he and Goku raced towards the cabin, both of them hoping to make it in time.

"How far away are we?" Goku asked, drawing Vegeta's steely gaze.

"Not far. It's just around the next bend."

Just then, the cabin came into view and Vegeta and Goku were forced to dodge to the side as a large hole opened in the roof of the cabin and Trunks went hurtling past them. The two saiyan warriors exchanged a look of surprise/

"See to Pan, I'll deal with my son," Vegeta growled.

Goku nodded and descended through the opening in the roof. He'd wanted to argue with Vegeta, but he couldn't. And that only further confused his already mixed emotions. He'd been afraid of what he might see when he entered the nearly destroyed bedroom through the hole in the roof. The large bed in the center of the room was caved in on itself, the dresser against the far wall was in pieces. The only thing untouched was a pale yellow bassinet wedged between a nightstand and the closet.

Pan sat crouched in a bruised heap next to the bassinet, power rolling off of her in waves. He'd never seen her like this. The icy rage in her eyes, the pain...she was riding the killing edge and he wasn't sure what he could possibly do to bring her back down from it. Would she even recognize him as enraged as she was or would she just see another enemy? It was so hard to be sure.

Carefully, Goku knelt in front of Pan as close as he dared. A low growl escaped her lips as her gaze shifted to him. He could see the confusion in her eyes, a flash of recognition.

"Pan? Pan it's me. It's Grandpa. Everything's okay."

Pan's eyes turned cloudy as she eased away from the killing edge, fighting the fog that surrounded her battle hazed mind. He was amazed she'd even had the energy to fight back in the first place. That in itself was a miracle. He watched quietly as Pan struggled to the surface, containing the explosive temper that resided deep within her.

"G-Grandpa?"

"Hey kiddo, long time no see."

"Grandpa!"

Pan threw herself into Goku's arms and sobbed. She had never been so relieved and so nervous about seeing her grandfather at the same time. She had missed him so much, and now here he was, when she needed him the most.

"Shhh...everything's alright now."

"No Grandpa, it's not. It's not alright."

"Sure it is. You've got Grandpa here now, and Vegeta's here and-"

Pan's head shot up as she heard Vegeta's name.

"Vegeta's here? Where? Where is he?"

Goku frowned at the sudden panic that filled Pan's voice. She seemed almost desperate in her need to know.

"He's out there. Fighting Trunks."

"What? No! He can't! Grandpa he can't! That isn't Trunks! I mean it is, but it's not! That thing is inside him! If he kills him, Trunks will die too!"

"Pan, calm down, what are you talking about? What's inside Trunks?"

"It's him Grandpa...that thing that killed mom and dad, it's him! He's inside Trunks. If Vegeta kills him while he's inside Trunks, then Trunks will die with him. We can't let him kill him. Not until he's left Trunks!"

Pan gave Goku very little time to process what she'd said before she was suddenly airborne, hurtling towards the battle taking place outside. She wouldn't let another life be claimed. Far above her she could see Vegeta and Trunks fightingin a glaring blur of light and speed.

"Vegeta, stop!"

He couldn't hear her. He was too far above her and too caught up in his rage. All they Saiyan Prince saw was another enemy. Someone who threatened the existence of everything he held dear. He'd already gone super Saiyan while the thing inside Trunks had barely broken a sweat. She saw him turn and smile at her, his eyes a glowing crimson.

"GET. OUT. OF. TRUNKS!" she screamed, as she hurtled through the air, gaining speed and delivering a powerful punch to Trunk's stomach.

She'd had to be careful to hold back just a little. She only wanted to force that thing out of him, not hurt him, though she was sure it would leave a mark. Trunk's doubled over around her arm as she backed away. A blinding red light emanated from him, as Trunk's body arched painfully and a long, loud scream tore its way out of his throat. Pan backed away quickly, shielding her eyes from the blinding crimson glare.

Something began to pour from Trunk's mouth. At first she thought it was some kind of liquid but as it poured out of Trunks it began to take shape and form into something more solid. Real.

"What the hell is that?" Vegeta said.

"That, is the thing that killed my parents. It's been here all along. All these years, just waiting."

Vegeta's eye went wide. How could they have all been so foolish? They'd all been so devastated by the loss of Gohan and Videl that none of them had given it a second thought when that alien monstrocity had just disappeared. They all assumed they'd somehow managed to defeat it, when in reality it had been living inside Trunks, under his roof, this whole time. As the last of that dark colored essence flowed out of Trunks, his body slumped, going limp, as he fell towards the ground.

"Trunks!"

Pan turned just in time to see her grandpa rushing up to catch Trunks. She didn't know if he was even still alive, all she knew was that she was done with this. Done with hiding, done with the nightmares. Done with watching the people she loved get hurt. She was going to end this no matter what it took.

"What did you do to my son?" Vegeta roared.

"Vegeta no!"

But it was already too late. Vegeta was hurtling towards the dark mass of energy too quickly to stop, only to shot backward. Vegeta cried out as pain raced through his body and he was bounced back, that strange dark energy in front of him seeming to grow.

"Vegeta it won't work! You're just feeding it!"

"What are you talking about woman?"

"He feeds off our hate! Any kind of negative energy we put out only makes him stronger!"

Besides, this guy was made of almost pure negative energy. Any physicals attacks against him were going to be completely useless. Not that Vegeta was listening. He was still lashing out, trying to take down with physical attacks, what could only be stopped with the non-physical. But still the sounds of battle raged down below her. She was the only one who knew it was useless.

There was only one thing they could, and Pan knew that she had to be the one to do it. Pan flew upward, the wind rushing through her hair as her eyes watered with unshed tears. It was the only thing she could think of. She'd seen her grandfather do it once, a long time ago but she couldn't ask him to do this. It was her fight, and she had to be the one. Closing her eyes, Pan desecended inward on herself drawing upon every joyful thought she'd ever hand, her hands raised skyward as her mind searched outward for positive energy and drew it into herself. She raised her hands skyward as the energy began to come to her as easily as breathing. She just had to concentrate and hope that nameless dark energy would stay distracted by Vegeta long enough for her to gather the energy she needed. Because she would only have one chance at this.

Farther down below, Vegeta caught sight of that great glowing ball of energy forming above Pan's head, she was like some great goddess, shining in the heavens. She'd already ascended to Super Saiyan and with the energy she was drawing in, it wouldn't be long before her level rose.

"What the hell is she doing?"

"No...it can't be?" Goku said, in utter disbelief

"What? What is it?"

"She's trying to do a spirit bomb..."

"Is she crazy? She'll be killed!"

Pan's body shook with the strain and effort as she gathered that much energy into herself. She had to do this, had to, or more innocent people would suffer. She refused to let anyone else go through what she had. She could feel him coming. That dark energing racing towards her like something out of a bad dream.

"Everyone...please help me."

Pan gasped, her spine bowing as she fought to hang on to that growing energy that seemed to fill the skies. She knew the moment she'd gathered the last bit of spare energy that she could gather. This was it. Either she would succeed, or she would fail, but at least she will have given her all to save the ones she loves.

"Everyone...please forgive me..."

And suddenly she was out of time. She released that great gleaming ball of energy just as her enermy zeroed in on her. He was so close. Too close, as that energy surrounded them both and a scream tore its way out of her throat, before the world around her faded to black, and that shining energy swallowed them both.

Vegeta screamed, trying to reach Pan in time. There had to be another way. There had to be. She'd never done a spirit bomb before, never trained to use it. In her weakened state there was no way her body could handle that much untamed energy. But he was too late. One moment he was racing towards her and the next he was thrown backward by that massive ball of energy. It felt like the ground itself would split apart and swallow them all. He moved slowly, waving away the dust that had risen up in the air around them. When he looked up, he no longer saw that dark blob of negative energy or Pan. He looked around him almost franticall, searching or any sign of her, and then he saw her. Amid the rubble and settling dust was Pan's broken body, unmoving and lifeless. There wasn't even the slightest hint of her breathing.

"Pan! No!"

Vegeta rushed to her side, his mind searching for even the smallest hint of their mental link. But found nothing.

The days that followed passed in an emotional blur. Trunks regained consciousness in two days with almost no recollection of what he had done when that dark energy had taken over him. He made a full recovery over the next two weeks as everyone filled him in on what had happened when he wasn't fully in control of himself. He'd been appalled by what he'd done to Pan, and even more so by the fact that his body had been used as a weapon against the people he cared about the most.

Pan on the other hand wasn't so lucky. She'd died twice on the gourney when they'd rushed her back to the private medical facilities at Capsul Corp. Her internal organs were all failing but somehow they had managed to stabalize her. She'd been in a coma for more than a month with no signs of any improvement. Everyone else had given up hope of her ever opening her eyes again. But vegeta hadn't. Every day he was by her side, with their beautiful infant daughter. He refused to believe for even a second that she wouldn't come back to them. Whether the others believed him or not, they were connected, and he could feel that connection growing stronger every day.

It wasn't until they were close to reaching the two month mark of her coma, when Vegeta had fallen asleep at her side, that he woke to the gentle brush of fingers against his cheek. Vegeta bolted upright, his first instinct being to check the room for any signs of trouble. Then he turned slowly to the figure lying in the bed, and found himself without words for the first time in his long lived life.

"Hello my love..."

Pan was awake. After two long months, of hoping, waiting, and praying, his Saiyan Princess was finally awake.

"Hello Princess. We've missed you."

So what did you guys think? Please review and remember to please be kind! Thank you!


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